To the world’s largest startup fair after an AI-win
An international team including two NHH students won an innovation competition in Bergen. Next on the agenda is a trip to the world’s largest startup fair.
For the second time, NHH has organised an AI‑Accelerated Innovation Sprint, a concept developed at NHH to stimulate entrepreneurial ambition among today’s students.
Investors and Users
Working in teams, the participants had three to four days to develop an idea into a viable product or service. With access to several AI tools, they were tasked with testing ideas and developing prototypes.
At the end, each team pitched its concept to a jury consisting of investors and potential users of the product.
This spring’s innovation sprint was organised in collaboration with the shipping company Odfjell.
Odfjell provided the students with real-world challenges that require new solutions in shipping, as well as jury members and venues for the final. In total, seven universities and business schools from the Engage.EU network were represented, and the buzz throughout the event took place in German, English, French, Italian, and several other languages.
Winning Idea on Safety Clearance
The idea that impressed the jury the most came from the team consisting of Yelyzaveta Tykhonova (University of Mannheim), Paola Pop (UT Capitole), and Nassim Haou and Bjarne Laartz (both international students at NHH).
The internationally composed team presented a solution to identify and prevent deficiencies and errors that may prevent a vessel from receiving safety clearance to leave port. A single day’s delay can mean lost revenues of up to USD 50,000.
We identified a pattern showing that, even though fault detection and inspections are largely digitalised, the process still depends heavily on the captain’s routines and experience, says Nassim Haou.
Finland and Slush!
A data-driven, AI-based solution combined with a standardised procedure integrates the captain’s experience far more systematically. This helps make the process both safer and more efficient, Haou explains.
The winning team is now invited to attend Slush, the world’s largest startup fair, held in Helsinki in November. Slush typically brings together around 3,500 investors and representatives from 6,000 startups.
In addition to numerous potential investor meetings, the team will also gain access to an extensive professional and academic programme.