The Mark Challenge GRAND FINALE

By Andrea Bogni.

Mark Challenge is a business plan competition, powered by the International University of Monaco (IUM), aiming at connecting students and professionals with community leaders and academic professionals. The competition is conducted in the form of a pitch, and the projects must be about a luxury product or service with an international scope targeting Ultra High Net Worth Individuals. During this competition, students are called to present business ideas supported by a video presentation and business plans. Organized in 4 different steps and two categories, the Mark Challenge aims to reward the winner of the competition during the Grand Finale.

On Thursday 19th May 2022 at the Yacht Club de Monaco the Grand Finale of the 9th edition of the Mark Challenge was held. The best 3 teams of each category were called to present their business ideas, followed by a Q&A session by the jury that lately assessed the performances and declared the winners.

For category 1, with Bachelor and master students, the winner was Eight Thirty, a team from Polimoda University in Florence. Eight Thirty is a comprehensive end-to-end tech-based platform that gathers both artisans and brands in one place so they can collaborate to come up with new projects and we empower that with a fully automated back and engine.

For category 2, with MBA, Executive MBA, Alumni, and professionals with or without a university degree, Royal Sat Group was the winner. The members from the University of Palermo are developing two new types of hardware: one will provide worldwide connectivity to superyachts at 200Mbps. The second device is about Cyber Security.

During the event, two more special awards were given: a special award in Yachting and Fashion & Accessories. The Special Award in Yachting is sponsored by Yachting Ventures and in partnership with the Cluster Yachting Monaco and with Young Professionals in Yachting Monaco.  The prize is a spot in Yachting Ventures’ accelerator program.

The Grand Finale of the Mark Challenge hosted professional business people to judge the performances of the students and declare the winners. Mrs. Annalisa Tarquini, director of the Master in Luxury Management at the International University of Monaco and Founder of the Mark Challenge couldn’t be prouder of the organization, and thanks to her staff, composed of Valentina Fabbri and Federica Conte, they managed to organize in the best way as possible the whole competition from the first phases to the last big event.

Later, a cocktail party with all the participants and guests was held on the terrace of the Yacht Club de Monaco. People could network and socialize with the winners of the competition, discovering more about their ideas and asking for more information about their future projects.

A big thank goes to the International University of Monaco which gave to everyone the chance to take part in such an important competition. Thanks also to the Yacht Club de Monaco that hosted the Grand Finale of the Mark Challenge and offered us an amazing location with their usual efficient service.