JAS Social Impact is a competition of social projects and social entrepreneurship projects among the community of NU, organized by the Social Development Fund.
On September 20, 2022, applicants for grant projects presented their projects to the jury to receive Start-Up and Impulse Grants. In total, 7 projects of social entrepreneurship of students and Alumni of NU passed the Pitching stage.
For 11 weeks, all project participants attended the JAS Camp program, where they learned how to develop businesses and solve social problems. Each project underwent a tracking session for seven weeks on entrepreneurship and two weeks of work with a mentor on social impact.
Participants who presented test versions (MVP) of their start-up projects could qualify for 3 million tenge, and and representatives of the existing social business could apply for 5 million tenge.
The projects were evaluated by experts: Emin Askerov, Head of the Green Tal Social Workshops, who started his career at NU. Zkayil Semembayev – certified scrum master and project manager (IPMA), accredited project management trainer, head of JAS Ventures Almaty. Aigerim Zhangozina – Instructor in Entrepreneurship and Management at the NU Graduate School of Business. Mukhtar Kuanyshbayuly – CEO of Connected Home startup, a graduate of NU Graduate School of Business.
Finalists’ projects
Qazaq Galymdary project aims to help Kazakh-speaking youth expand their horizons and popularize the state language through videos on the YouTube platform. Fashion Freedom is an eco-project that tries to solve the problem of environmental pollution and social inequality through a clothing rental service. Hustle Free is a platform for optimising the business processes of sports tournaments, which gives a chance for disabled athletes to take part in competitions for free. Eco sweets is a project to produce and sell PP desserts and sweets.
Three projects became winners of the competition. BULAN project by Aimedet Taгfik, a 3rd-year NU SEDS student, is dedicated to developing and installing electric wheelchair attachments for people with disabilities. During the programme, the team tested the product with users, identified weaknesses in the product, and held meetings with foundations and companies that could become customers.
The project won 3 million tenge. “I’m happy, I have new goals, so I have a lot of hope for the future. According to the business plan, most of this grant will be spent on creating seven electric set-top boxes, on certification and obtaining a patent,” Aimedet shared with us.
UP&GO children’s development centre will receive 5 million tenge for further business development. UP&GO is a centre that provides help for children with special needs. Jas Ventures Almaty incubated the project in spring and, during the incubation, worked out the products and business model. At the Jas Camp program, the team had an opportunity to work out the issues of social impact.
Kunde is a social cafe on NU’s campus that provides employment opportunities for people with mental disabilities. Project founder Maulen Akhmetov, an NU SSH graduate, shared that during the JAS camp program, the team changed the focus of development and was able to test a new direction for financial sustainability. The project will be allocated 5 million tenge for further development.
Congratulations to the winners!
