In November, MeKiwi participated in the Innovation Bootcamp in Pokhara, Nepal, which aimed to create new innovations for local needs. The event was organised by the Tribhuvan University (Institute of Engineering) in cooperation with the Nepal Go Association, an association founded in Oulu to promote education and employment in Nepal. The project was funded by the Gandaki provincial administration, and Mukti Paudel from Nepgo ry was the project leader for both countries.
Nepgo ry invited Finnish companies to participate in the event to mentor students and solve challenges together. MeKiwi was excited by the idea and decided to participate. From Finland came also Raimo Korhonen from KeepLoop, Kimmo Paajanen from OAMK and two guest lecturers, Janne Korhonen, PhD consultant from Aalto University and Anu-Maria Laitinen, knowledge management consultant.
The five-day event took place on the Paschimanchal campus. In addition to the invited companies, the event was attended by around 30 students and experienced local mentors, each with extensive knowledge of the issues at hand.
Challenges and ceremonies
The event started with a formal welcome ceremony on campus in honour of the guests. The mayor of the city and a local minister were also invited. During the ceremony, the guests were given flowers and were dressed in colourful Nepali headdresses. The morning was full of celebrations, as was the evening of the last day of the event.
The Bootcamp itself started with six different challenges to which the university students had to develop a solution together with representatives of companies. MeKiw was tasked to create a report on the level of digitalisation in Nepal, both on the business and education side. In addition to the report, the team looked at how to get parents more involved in their children’s studies. As a solution, a “Wilma” type service, which we are also familiar with, was proposed. The mayor immediately agreed to pilot-test 10 schools, but full commercialisation of the service is a prerequisite for real implementation.
Again next year?
Samuel Kuosmanen, CEO of MeKiwi, was very pleased with the quality of the event. MeKiwi’s goal for this trip was to identify business opportunities, build a network and identify local expertise. All these elements were implemented beyond expectations.
“I would definitely go again, as long as the trip is well planned in terms of purpose and appointments. It took a surprisingly long time to travel, but an international airport is being built in Pokhara, which will speed up travel in the future,” Samuel summed up when asked if he would go again.
About Nepal
Nepal is a poor developing country surrounded by mountains, where more than 50% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. Although people come from very simple backgrounds, they are very welcoming. The mountains have kept trade very limited with countries such as India and China. Recently, there has been a wake-up call on this issue and there is now a strong push for change. Tourism has played its part in boosting development and growth prospects are already looking bright. This will also create new opportunities, for example for Finnish educational exports and other cooperation. Now is therefore a very good time to invest in Nepal.