An Interview with 2021 G-CHALLENGE English MBA Finalists

1. What brought about the idea for Remake Tree?
   “1 year ago, I participated in a GLOBIS event presented by Andreas and Gil. It was about companies’ social stories. They taught us that many apparel companies are making recycled clothes.  I thought there should be another way.”
2. How did your time as a GLOBIS  MBA student contribute to this idea?
   “From the classes at GLOBIS, I got motivated to solve social problems through business.  CSV ideas from the Strategy course and BTI course helped me.”
3. How did you hear about the G-CHALLENGE and what made you decide to enter?
   “The G-CHALLENGE is the biggest reason I decided to enter the GLOBIS MBA.  Initially, I was thinking of entering the competition in the second year or after graduation, but my IMBA classmates pushed me to join from the first year.  I appreciate the classmates I have now.”
4. How was the overall experience?
   “It was the most meaningful challenge in my life.  We could learn what it is like to make a business plan with the help of many people. My team couldn’t win this G-Challenge, but we are confident in our plan and the challenges ahead.”
5. What was the preparation period like and what would you recommend to anyone considering joining the G-CHALLENGE next year?
   “I came up with my idea around March and organized a team at the Aska conference in July.  It is better to start as early as possible. This challenge is very tough but really worth the challenge for anyone’s dream.”
6. What are your takeaways from competing in the G-CHALLENGE?
   “To realize my idea, about 40 people helped me in spite of their busy schedules. Most of them are GLOBIS students and they are very passionate. These people’s experience is my treasure. Now, I also want to contribute to someone else’s challenge.”
7. What are your plans moving forward?
   “My team couldn’t win this time, but we learned many lessons from the feedback provided. What we are trying to achieve is right. So we are trying to improve our plan and rechallenge the G-Challenge and G-Startup next time!”

1. What brought about the idea for Beebee+Bongo?
   “My business partner, Monika Nowazcyk, was working in Cambodia for an international NGO in 2009. She noticed that women had limited education and skills and the burden of household duties. As an avid knitter herself, she thought she could teach these women to knit toys and help sell them (mostly to tourists) so they earn a living. Over the years it grew into a small, but thriving enterprise called Cambodia Knits, supporting over 100 families across many communities. In 2020 COVID hit. Tourism in Cambodia evaporated and with it, 95% of sales. I was working on my MBA and looking for a social business to get involved with. I met Monika through a friend and we started talking. Together we agreed that if the project was going to survive, it had to go global. Beebee+Bongo was born.”
2. How did your time as a GLOBIS  MBA student contribute to this idea?
   “Doing my MBA while building a business has been an excellent experience. I’ve never worked in manufacturing before, but after accounting, I better understood inventory management—and also how to properly allocate the costs. Without those Finance classes, I don’t even know how I would have done the projections for the G-Challenge pitch or a valuation estimation for potential investors. I also think the sheer exposure to different businesses through the case model has been invaluable. By learning the stories of so many businesses, you can see yourself in them, you can see the stage you’re at in comparison to them and, in some ways, see the road ahead. Lastly, the discussion of kokorazashi in various classes has really highlighted an important fact: if you have a big dream, you are going to need all the help you can get. Get your vision out there, get people behind it.”
3. How did you hear about the G-CHALLENGE and what made you decide to enter?
   “I’d heard about the G-Challenge last year (2020) through classmates, but at that time we were busy launching a Kickstarter and didn’t feel it was the right time to enter. By mid-2021 we were on track with our strategy for global expansion and had traction in the US market. With our operations running, we were ready to accelerate our growth and to start looking for funding. The G-Challenge was a perfect segue for us to start focusing on how to pitch.”
4. How was the overall experience?
   “Both Monika and thought it was really well organized. There were clear timelines and deadlines, and the feedback and mentorship call after becoming a finalist were both really helpful. We enjoyed every aspect of the process. The biggest downside (besides not ultimately winning), was not being able to come to Tokyo to present in person due to COVID.”
5. What was the preparation period like and what would you recommend to anyone considering joining the G-CHALLENGE next year?
   “The preparation period was similar to preparing for most presentations; research, gathering material, drafting, editing, getting feedback, editing, and finally rehearsing. So if it seems intimidating, don’t worry about it. If you have a business idea that you are excited about, just do it. It’s free to enter, and the process of putting the deck together will tell you pretty quickly if 1) are you clear on your idea and how it will actually work 2) what information you’re missing 3) gaps in the skills you need, and 4) if you’re actually as passionate about it as you thought you were. At the very least you will learn something about yourself, and get free advice on how to improve your idea.“
6. What are your takeaways from competing in the G-CHALLENGE?
   “One of our takeaways is the actual pitch deck; we’ve only had to modify it slightly to be able to meet with investors. Another big takeaway was the realization that there is a massive community of people in the GLOBIS network and the willingness of so many people who want to help you if they’re able. Knowing who you are pitching to is important (hard in this case since we didn’t know who the judges were). Through this process, we’ve been able to get clearer on who we need to pitch to, and how we need to tell our story.”
7. What are your plans moving forward?
   “Four things: 1) Pitch to as many investors as we can. Funding will accelerate our growth—and impact—exponentially, 2) Build our marketing/sales team. This is crucial to both our wholesale and retail sales. We need to leverage more digital channels 3) Recruit a Board of Advisors who are passionate about our vision. We are still a young company and essentially have a proof of concept; we’ll need guidance to realize our vision 4) All of the above amounts to hiring another 60-80 knitters this year, and doubling that next year.“

We wish both Remake Tree and BeeBee+Bongo the best moving forward and will be watching in excitement to see where their journey takes them.