Shira Feen

Lavanya Karanth

Lavanya Karanth and Shira Feen, both master’s students in the Digital Marketing and Media program, have been named finalists in a global competition for their idea to create a remote education service for students in developing nations. The “Triple Bottom Line Challenge,” sponsored by the Bengis Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Israel, asked students to submit ideas for startup companies that would improve the “post-Corona” world. The criteria for submissions is social impact and contribution to humanity, feasibility of implementation, uniqueness, creativity and innovation, and impact. The final stage of the competition will be held on Thursday, June 18. “We recognized that in the midst of the pandemic, privileged students rushed to Zoom and Google Classroom while millions of students from underserved communities missed out on critical months of their education,” said Shira. Their remote education service would provide schools in need with lightly used donated textbooks, paired with a solar-powered radio. Students will have the ability to follow along with courses from their local school, as well as millions of courses donated by teachers from all over the world. Each station on their solar-powered radio would feature a different grade-school level, as well as stations for skills and hobbies. “The Triple Bottom Line Challenge was especially interesting because it forced us to think of a business idea that would not only be profitable but also have a positive social impact,” said Lavanya. “This challenge drove us to think of ways we could possibly help improve the accessibility to education for children from underserved communities across the globe.”