IBA clinches Battle of Minds trophy

Team Fan Club from Dhaka University’s Institute of Business Administration (IBA) were crowned champions at the grand finale of Battle of Minds (BOM) on Sunday.

Team Say Our Name from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Team ANTS from Islamic University of Technology (IUT) were declared first and second runners up respectively, says a press release.

BOM, one of the most highly anticipated talent competitions of the country, has successfully completed its 18th year. The champions of the 18th edition were declared after months of riveting rounds of challenges.

More than 800 teams battled it out for a chance to represent Bangladesh on the global platform, to further compete with 26 participating countries.

The global winning team will receive up to £50,000 in seed funding to fuel their entrepreneurial dreams.

Planning minister MA Mannan MP, speaking at the virtual event stressed on the importance of talent platforms like this to groom the new generation and get them ready as professionals.

This year, participants of Battle of Minds chose one of the socio-economic challenges, culture, farming, waste and energy and worked to tackle it with a business plan.

The winning team ideated to take the plastic waste and mix it with sand to form eco-friendly bricks, with less carbon footprint than regular clay bricks.

BAT Bangladesh has been organising this countrywide talent platform since 2004, and despite having to go virtual due to the pandemic, they have successfully done so for the second year in a row.

Saad Jashim, head of human resources of BAT Bangladesh, said, “Battle of Minds has transcended borders to be the premier talent competition globally, allowing teams to bring out the best in themselves and preparing them for life after undergrad studies.”