CCMS PhD student, Mr Tigere Muringa, is the winner of the “ENSPIRE” Elevator Pitch Campus Challenge. Humanities Student Wins ENSPIRE Elevator Pitch
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Centre for Communication, Media and Society (CCMS) PhD student, Mr Tigere Muringa, won first place in the ENSPIRE Elevator Pitch Campus Challenge, a UKZN InQubate student entrepreneurship programme recently held at the Howard College campus.
Muringa shares the victory with his business partner, Mr DesmondTakundwa Hakurekwi who is a Mechanical Engineering student.
The challenge centred on UKZN students pitching innovative business ideas in three minutes to a panel of judges. Participants were competing for prizes including an opportunity to join the ENSPIRE programme to access a business support package worth up to R100 000.
Muringa’s winning pitch was on a bilingual university newspaper called Varsity Press (print and electronic) which provides insight to issues affecting UKZN students and staff. It will be published in English and isiZulu, with a print version distributed twice a week and complemented by a daily publication on its website at www.varsitypress.net.
‘Varsity Press will serve students and staff with UKZN related news, commentary, advice, humour, commercial adverts and national news. It is a practical resource for the University community. The editorial and advertising portions of the Varsity Press are the strategic units for its business. During its first-year of operation (2018), the primary focus will be on the University’s five campuses and expand to attain a national character by 2028,’ explained Muringa.
He sees this opportunity as a stepping stone to achieve his dreams and is keen to undergo training and mentorship to set up his business.
‘I have a 10-year plan for my business. In the first five-years (2023) of operation, I aim to distribute more than 20 000 copies of my newspaper on all UKZN campuses; employing a total of 20 student journalists and reporters from the University. By the year 2028, I intend to expand my market and distribute more than 500 000 copies of Varsity Press to all universities and colleges in KwaZulu-Natal. This will allow Varsity Press to gain a regional character,’ said Muringa.
Words: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph: Neas and Divi Media