Student Journeys in Social Entrepreneurship

Student social entrepreneurs that have participated in the Hult Prize competition share their experience using PechaKucha presentations.

Join us for Global Entrepreneurship Week at StartUP FIU to hear the stories of five student social entrepreneurs and their journeys. Our panel of student social entrepreneurs will be delivering their stories in a PechaKucha format in the hopes of sharing their personal journey on what it has been like to try to solve the most complex problems of our times, including the water crisis the world is facing, and how the agricultural industry must reimagine itself in this fast changing global society.

What is a PechaKucha talk?

PechaKucha’s 20x20 presentation format shows your 20 chosen images, each for 20 seconds. In other words, you've got 400 seconds to tell your story, with visuals guiding the way. PechaKucha means "chit chat" in Japanese. This creative outlet began as nighttime get-togethers in Tokyo in 2003 by two renowned architects. Since then, three million people have attended PechaKucha events worldwide.

Student Journeys in Social Entrepreneurship Agenda:

11:30AM - 11:45AM: Kickoff

11:45AM - 12:30PM: Student Social Entrepreneurs PechaKucha Presentations

12:30PM - Closing Remarks and Networking

Student Social Entrepreneurs Panel:

Yashaswi Tapadia, Represented FIU at the 2019 Boston Hult Prize Global Regionals and winner of the 2019 iChange Competition

Yashaswi is passionate about building community-based initiatives, and by using entrepreneurship as her tool, she aims to create a positive impact at scale. Currently, she is doing so with her project Vikaasha, where she works with the rural populations of India to understand their problems and implement solutions. Her understanding of the socio-cultural underpinnings of the rural communities in India drives her approach.

If you can’t find her, it’s because she's reading, cooking, off to a hike, or studying for an exam!

Paula Perez, Represented FIU at the 2018 San Fransisco Hult Prize Global Regionals, 2019 Watson Alum and Forbes Under 30 2019 Scholar

Paula is committed to creating solutions for today's most pressing needs, in particular by using tech, human-centred design and systems thinking to meet the fundamental needs of vulnerable populations. She’s building up her tools for this through a mechanical engineering degree and experience in social entrepreneurship. Through her venture, Project SWEET, she is working to secure sustainable water access for rural communities, for which she is currently focused on the indigenous Wayuu tribe in La Guajira, Colombia.

Luisana Zambrano, Represented FIU at the 2018 Boston Hult Prize Global Regionals and SGA Secretary of Academic Affairs

Luisana was born and raised in Venezuela. She came to the United States in 2015 to start her college studies, in 2015 Luisana transferred to FIU to finish her Bachelors in International Relations. She has been involved in different college programs and departments such as Model United Nations, Venezuelan Student Alliance, Student Government Association and StartUP FIU at Florida International University. Luisana was selected to be the 2019 Campus Director for Hult Prize at FIU, a social entrepreneurship competition that encourages students to think on market-driven solutions of social issues for the 2018-2019 academic year. Luisana has also been developing a social project called The Flowering Project, this is a social enterprise that empowers disenfranchised women, as of right now she is on the planning phase of the project.

Stefano Gasperini, Forbes Under 30 2018 Scholar

Born in Venezuela, Stefano is a Junior pursuing a degree in Finance. He has worked for StartUP FIU, CableLabs, and Amazon. Also, he has competed in two entrepreneurship competitions, the Hult Prize and Startup Summer. He is now channeling his time and energy into building an Amazon Business.

Maria Giraldo, Represented FIU at the 2018 Boston Hult Prize Global Regionals and Second Place Winner of 2019 Florida Blue Health Innovation Pitch Competition

Maria is an international student from Colombia. She is currently a senior student in biomedical engineering, she first got involved in entrepreneurship through Hult Prize competition and from then on she started to look for ways to merge her field of study with her interest for entrepreneurship. She will be graduating in December and plans to pursue a PhD in biomedical engineering with the hopes to later on focus on research commercialization.

About StartUP FIU

StartUP FIU is a university-wide initiative that fosters and develops entrepreneurship and innovation to pursue opportunities at FIU, in Miami, and around the world. We create and run programs based on two foundational beliefs: that the skills and principles of entrepreneurship are essential to adapt and thrive in our fast-changing global landscape, and that universities can play a unique role in creating today’s opportunities while shaping that future landscape.