Florence Duong wins GSEC 2024 with her innovative, creative and sustainable project!
Florence Duong, from LaSalle College Vancouver, has earned the prestigious title of Grand Prize Winner of the Global Student Entrepreneurship Contest (GSEC) 2024!
This year's finalists flew the flag for their respective campuses:
- Florence Duong, LaSalle College Vancouver;
- Malek Rouissi, Collège LaSalle Tunis;
- Hamza Afif, Collège LaSalle Maroc;
- Maddison Bayliss, LCI Melbourne; and
- Miguel Angel Cortes, LaSalle College Montréal.
Hamza Afif, from Collège LaSalle Maroc, took home the Public's Favourite Award.
All presented innovative projects, reflecting the diversity and dynamism of LCI Education.
Sustainable innovation wins over the jury
Florence Duong particularly stood out with her “PHIN” business concept, a boutique brand specializing in bags and accessories made from fish leather.
Her innovative approach, using recycled fish skins to create fabrics, not only impressed the jury with her creativity, but also with her commitment to sustainability.
A panel of experts for students seeking valuable advice
Many thanks to our panel of judges for their participation and invaluable advice. We were delighted to welcome:
- Guillaume de Tilly-Dion, Vice-President, Relationship Management at RBCx
- Caroline Pelletier, Vice-President Investments at Anges Québec
- Karine Bah Tahé, Co-founder & CEO at Oasis Learning AI
- Matyas Gabor, Fractional CMO – Executive Consultant at MGS Business & Marketing Strategy
Their thought-provoking questions, expert advice and active presence enabled our students to take their business idea to the next level.
An international competition
The GSEC, organized by LCI Education, is an annual competition open to all LaSalle College students with a business idea they wish to bring to fruition. Participants benefit from the support of teacher/coaches for several months, enabling them to refine and develop their project.
After an initial selection process at regional level, the winners meet in the international final. This year, the international final was held for the first time in Montréal, marking a historic moment for LaSalle College Montréal.
Congratulations to the finalists
We'd also like to congratulate the other four finalists, who presented exceptional and inspiring projects. Their passion and innovation are an inspiration to us all.
The competition concluded with Florence Duong being awarded the grand prize of $5,000 and Hamza Afif receiving an iPad for the Public's Favourite Award.
We hope you found our students' innovation and creativity as inspiring as we did. See you next year for another edition of the competition, and until then, we'll certainly continue to encourage innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit in our community!
You can watch the full recording of the event:
