Yixiao C. and Sofia H., Grade 10 Students
Last October, we decided to take on a new challenge by signing up for the Oxford Founders Society Entrepreneurship Competition 2025, a prestigious business competition led by an organization at the University of Oxford that focuses on fostering entrepreneurship in students. The competition had two rounds: a preliminary pitch deck submission and a final Zoom live presentation to judges from Oxford. Joining the competition as a team of two, we developed a product that addressed a distinct global issue and gained knowledge that is sure to stay with us for a lifetime.
In the preliminary round of the competition, we were asked to create a business that would solve a real-world problem relating to health, the environment, or another social issue. Brainstorming solutions was quite challenging, as we had to balance the investor appeal of our business with its sustainable mission. After taking time to gather inspiration from around the school and conduct fundamental research, we finally decided to address one of the most significant issues affecting today's environment — microplastics. To combat this problem, we developed a feasible solution that aims to cut the issue at its source. We designed the company MicroNo, which sells a below-sink filter that can capture plastics down to 0.14 microns, 350 times smaller than a human hair!
In just two weeks, we were both able to find time in between our schoolwork to get together and develop our pitch deck. After several tense weeks of anxiously waiting for results, we finally got word of the preliminary round outcome. We were ecstatic to learn that we had placed first in Canada and second in North America. More importantly, we were among the global top 8 teams, which meant we qualified for the final round of the competition.
The show was now on. Everything we had done up to that point hung in the balance, and for the two weeks before the final deadline, we were unstoppable. Aside from writing and practicing our script for the live round, we worked on streamlining our slides to make them more visually appealing and added more information based on feedback from the judges.
The day before the live presentation in the final round of the competition, we fully devoted ourselves to preparing for the final round. To simulate the Zoom format and 8-minute cutoff time we would face in the live round, we created private Zoom meetings and practiced working with our complicated setup of three computers and several props to ensure that when the time came to present, we were ready. We worked well into the night and started again early the next morning, dressed in our quite interesting uniforms of formal tops and pyjama bottoms.
Eventually, it was our turn to present. We were then last to go, representing both our school and Canada against a series of teams from the United States, South Korea, Qatar, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. Luckily, our hard work paid off. Our presentation was perfect, and from what we could tell, the judges were very impressed. After what felt like an eternity (in reality, it was only twenty minutes), the judges called us back to the meeting to announce the finalized results. We were thrilled to learn, just as we are thrilled to share, that we had beaten out every other team and won the Global Championship. This is not only a significant accomplishment but also a prestigious reward for our hard work and dedication over the two months of the competition.
However, we did not do all of this just for the sake of the title. The Oxford Founders Society Competition taught us the value of hard work, perseverance, and dedication. In the early months of last year, we worked together on a similar competition – the MIT Entrepreneurship Club Competition 2025. Although we reached second place in Canada in the preliminary round, we did not advance to the final round. However, we did not let this discourage us. Instead, it inspired us to try again and work harder to create a better pitch. If we had given up the moment things got hard, or called it quits once we did not win the first time, we never would have reached the heights we have today.
Even with our determination, we could not have done it alone. We would like to extend a huge thanks to our business teacher of the past two years, Mr. Hodgins. Before we entered his class last year, neither of us considered business to be much more than numbers and spreadsheets. Through his engaging lessons and well-led extracurriculars, our passions for business were kindled, and we were encouraged to reach our full potential. We would also like to thank our teachers, who provided us with much-needed extensions on assignments while we were in the midst of preparing our submissions. Lastly, we would like to thank our families and friends, who gave us the courage to take a chance and supported us through long days and nights.
Now, we can not wait for where the next chapter takes us. We are very excited for the next opportunity to take a risk and try something tough. We urge all those reading to do the same. Even when something seems intimidating, and even when victory seems impossible, just try. It may sound cliché, but with hard work and determination, even the most daunting of accomplishments is only a few steps away. You never know where the future will bring you, so why not take a chance and pave the way for your success?