This year Bryant Zhuhai University entered a team and competed in the 929 Challenge – 3rd Edition. The 929 Challenge is a startup (entrepreneurial) competition aimed to strengthen business & trade exchanges between China & Portuguese Speaking Countries. Teams from China and Portuguese-speaking countries present their entrepreneurial ideas hoping to be a finalist and pitch their ideas in Macau to investors and judges. There are two tracks: one for universities and one for startups. The three winning teams received an in-kind service prize of 30,000 MOP from Alibaba cloud services and 180,000 MOP of monetary prize.

近日，由布莱恩特项目Soctt Mcdonald教授及Patrick Behar教授带队指导的学生参加了第三届中国与葡语国家929创新创业挑战赛（以下简称“929挑战赛”）。“929挑战赛”是一项由中国与葡语国家经贸合作论坛（澳门）常设秘书处主办的面向来自中国与葡萄牙语系国家大学生和初创团队的国际创业比赛。929 挑战赛旨在发挥澳门的门户作用，连接中国与葡语国家的商业创意，帮助中国的初创企业和投资人获取更多的国际商业机遇。目前，929挑战赛是中国与葡语国家间最大规模的创新创业竞赛，具有广泛的国际影响力。布莱恩特项目学生林显、张语嫣、张曦、李蕊和杨静怡参与了比赛并获得铜奖及参赛证书。

Students were asked to participate in a 10-day boot camp where speakers from China and Portuguese-speaking countries gave 2-hour zoom presentations. The start-up had to focus on one or more of the following initiatives: Tourism, Healthcare, Fintech, Agribusiness & Food, Blue Economy, and Energy & Renewables. Teams also had to focus on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The deliverables included a PPT outlining their business proposal and a video introducing their idea.

今年参赛队伍包含中山大学，深圳大学等知名高校。参赛学生需参加一个为期10天的训练营，他们的创业项目必须专注于以下一项或多项举措:旅游、医疗保健、金融科技、农业综合企业和食品、蓝色经济、能源和可再生能源。参赛团队还必须关注17个联合国可持续发展目标。最终的交付成果包括一个概述他们商业计划书的PPT和一个介绍他们想法的视频。

In all 290 teams submitted an entry. Professor McDonald attended the finals and organizers knew about our students’ entry. “They were impressed with our first time try in the competition,” McDonald added. The business idea the group entered was creating an employment company that helps people with disabilities find jobs, while helping companies fill employment vacancies with very able people with disabilities. The idea would start in the Greater Bay area and expand throughout China and Portuguese speaking countries.

据Mcdonald教授介绍，“总共290个团队提交了参赛作品，主办方了解我们学生的参赛情况，他们对我们第一次参加比赛印象深刻”。学生们提出的商业理念是创建一家帮助残疾人找工作的就业公司，同时帮助公司招聘非常有能力的残疾人填补职位空缺。这个想法将从大湾区开始，然后扩展到整个中国和葡语国家。

“We may not have been a finalist, but we will be there next year I’m sure,” said Professor McDonald. “And next year we will have more time to prepare and can enter up to five teams.”

Mcdonald教授说:“相信我们明年会做得更好，明年我们将有更多的时间准备，最多可以参加五支队伍参赛。”

加油吧，少年们。