On Saturday, November 16th, the Open Innovation Center InSpace held the 9th Social Business Plan Contest * with the aim of nurturing social entrepreneurs. A total of six teams made up of students from Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Commerce, Faculty of International Studies of Culture, Faculty of Human Sciences, and GFBP presented a variety of business plans.
After a judging panel of five judges, including Watanabe Chieko, representative director of the Circular Cotton Factory General Incorporated Association, team "Plate Place" was awarded the grand prize for their business plan, "A business that facilitates communication through cooking classes."
The team's business plan is to hold cooking classes for corporations with the aim of stimulating communication between employees, providing an opportunity for interaction among young people, who have declined due to the decline in drinking parties, and promoting health at home.
The judges commented, "Communication is important for startup companies, so I think it would be great for such companies to use this app. I feel that the catchphrase "making families healthy" is something that is lacking in modern society, so I would like to keep this in mind."
The leader, Ishikawa Yasukane (2nd year, Faculty of Commerce Department of Business and Marketing, Miyaki High School), said, "The idea came from my love of cooking, and I'm glad that the judges recognized it. In the future, I would like to expand on the plan, such as adopting it for corporate employee benefits and using it for PR when recruiting, and use it to achieve more of what I want to do."
*Social business is a new type of business that aims to solve various social issues such as the environment, declining birthrates, an aging population, and economic downturn through business activities (business models).
[Open Innovation Center InSpace]
