Colorado State University Team Wins Global Business School Network Video Contest

A team from the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise MBA program in the Colorado State University College of Business won the Global Business School Network’s third annual MBA+ Challenge Video Contest. The contest invited business students from around the globe to submit videos showing how they are making a difference in the developing world through volunteer work, school projects, new enterprises or blossoming careers.

The winning video, “MamaCarts – Increasing Food Security,” was produced by Meghan Coleman, Rachael Miller, Lindsay Saperstone, and Jeannie Whitler, who graduated from the GSSE MBA program in December.

MamaCarts is a for-profit food cart micro-franchise that leverages existing supply chains to distribute complete, clean and delicious meals to lower-income urban markets. By purchasing nutritional foods in bulk from local suppliers, the price per meal is reduced. By 2018, MamaCarts will tackle the core causes of malnutrition by annually delivering 1 billion affordable and nutritious meals.

From among 22 entries, MamaCarts was selected from a group of five finalists who were determined by public online voting. A member of the winning team will receive an all-expenses paid trip to present at the GBSN Annual Conference and 10th Anniversary Celebration in Tunis, Tunisia, June 10-12. MamaCarts will also write blog posts to be featured on Next Billion and New Global Citizen.

All five finalists won the opportunity to participate in a mentoring session with Benedict Odukwe, Head of Human Resources of the United Bank of Africa.

“The four women who designed MamaCarts are terrific representatives of Colorado State University’s GSSE MBA program,” said Director Carl Hammerdorfer. “We are grateful for GBSN’s leadership in directing the focus of b-schools around the world toward enterprise solutions to global poverty, consistent with the philosophical foundations of GSSE.”

Competing for online Hult Prize

The GSSE team first presented the MamaCarts concept at the Hult Prize competition, part of the Clinton Global Initiative to end world hunger, in San Francisco in March. They are currently competing in the Hult Prize Online Event, and you can vote for them on the Hult Prize Facebook page until May 12.

To learn more about MamaCarts and see the winning video, go to www.mamacarts.com. To learn more about the GSSE program in the CSU College of Business, go to biz.colostate.edu/gsse.

To watch all of the 2013 MBA+ Challenge Videos, visit www.gbsnonline.org/mbachallenge.