This week we caught up with the VQueen Elizabeth High School VIA team from to get an update on how they are doing with their amazing biodegradeable diapers business venture, Diapo.
The team is in it’s product development phase and working their way around accessing equipment to manufacture their product, a product which is usually imported from outside the country. The team says this has been their biggest challenge, but of course this hasnt stopped or discouraged them!
When we asked the team what their biggest achievement has been on their journey from the National Business Case Competitions (NBCCs) and through the VIA so far, they responded that it’s how they scooped 6 awards on VIA Pitch Day! For them, this was confirmation that they are developing a potentially successful product. They are also proud they managed to market themselves and product in the number one newspaper in Zimbabwe and other business news platforms.
“Our experience from NBCC has been quite interesting and enlightening. We got to learn team work, time management, entreprenual skills, problem solving skills, communication skills, research and critical thinking, including thinking outside the box. We finally managed to realize all the opportunities that we had neglected and how important it is for us to create a good foundation for our future,” said their Team Leader Natalie Nyika. She also added that they’ve learnt to tackle some of the problems they faced in a professional manner, something they never thought they’d be able to do!
The team is also grateful for the advise and support they have been getting from their assigned advisors, Margaretha Hirsch and Jens Echtermeyer, both from Deloitte Germany. They’ve been spending some time with them throughout this product development process.
We’re looking forward to their product launch next year!
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