UniMAC-GIJ entrepreneurship competition takes off on March 23 …16 dynamic groups compete for coveted prize

On Saturday, March 23, student representatives of the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC) will lock horns with their colleagues in an intellectual thriller that will mark the 2024 Venture Vanguard an Entrepreneurship Fair and Business Elevator Pitch Competition.

This year’s event, which starts in the morning, will be held at the UniMac Institute of Journalism’s (IJ) Dzorwulu Campus in Accra for 16 dynamic groups contest for the top prize in an electrifying pitch.

On the theme “Igniting innovation: pioneering tomorrow’s entrepreneurs,” the pitch is under the auspices of the Department of Marketing in the Faculty of Public Relations, Advertising and Integrated Marketing of the school.

The fair is a project-based assessment of the Entrepreneurship Course as well as a culmination of classroom theory and real-world practice. It is in connection with the school’s attempt to balance theory and practice in its training.

To that end, the students are expected to showcase their products and services as well as pitch the business ideas to a panel of experts selected from the industry on the day of the pitch.

They will also be tested for their knowledge on all segments of business from entrepreneurship to finance.

Impact                                    

The prorgamme or course was designed to provide an in-depth exploration of the entrepreneurship process, with emphasis on customer-focused themes to drive innovation and commercialisation.

Through the programme, students are expected to learn how to identify customer needs, create a value proposition, design and build a product, and scale a business.

The course was also aimed at offering insights into sales and distribution, pricing strategies, revenue models, and growth opportunities.

They were inspired through insightful interactions with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders, gaining valuable understanding into the challenges and opportunities of starting and scaling a customer-focused business.

Consequently, the students would also have the opportunity to put their knowledge and skills into practice by developing a comprehensive business plan for the new venture.

The programme is supposed to ensure that whether students are interested in starting their own business or working in a corporate setting, they would be armed with the foundation for success.

The entrepreneurship programme would equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to start and grow a customer-focused business, including market research, customer profiling, product design, and scaling strategies.

By the end of the course, students will have a thorough understanding of the entrepreneurship process and will be prepared to turn their ideas into successful businesses.

The course is suitable for anyone interested in entrepreneurship and is ideal for students who want to gain practical skills and knowledge in this field.

Objectives

This course is intended to provide students with an in-depth and practical look into entrepreneurship by illustrating the development of an idea from opportunity recognition through the start-up stage.

Students should be able to explore and experience the joy of creating unique solutions to market opportunities.

This would enable them to create and exploit innovative business ideas and market opportunities.

They would turn market opportunities into a business plan and build a mindset focusing on developing novel and unique approaches to market opportunities.