Artificial intelligence is a fast-growing field with the potential to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges. AI is offering innovative ways to address problems that once seemed impossible to tackle. At the four-day National Startup Weekend which ended on Saturday, three top teams won Nu 500,000 each for their AI-driven solutions to improve productivity across various sectors. The event featured ideas from 18 aspiring entrepreneur teams.
The winners of the competition will be closely supervised to ensure they effectively utilise the seed fund to turn their ideas into reality.
“These top three winners will be provided with a seed fund of Nu 500,000 each. In addition to that, they will also undergo a structured fifteen-week incubation programme at Bhutan Innovation and Technology Centre located at Thimphu TechPark Limited, and they will also be mentored by international mentors through online platforms and also our Bhutanese Mentors,” said Tenzin Rabgay, Chief Operating Officer, Thimphu TechPark Limited.
Jaggle AI is one of the winning teams led by Jigme Tashi Namgyel. It is an AI-driven tool that automates repetitive tasks in businesses and government agencies to save time and enhance productivity.
“For the last six years, I have been working as a software developer and also as a technical lead. So, while I was leading a developing team, the major problem that I faced was that there were a lot of repetitive tasks that go before actually doing the work. So, to reduce the time on those repetitive tasks, I have created Jaggle.ai.”
Similarly, Zhidhay, Kinley Wangyel’s team developed a cloud-based system to help manage rental properties. After struggling with the issue himself, he created the platform to make property management easier.
“I had this idea more than a few months ago because I also deal with property rental management, so I had a lot of problems with the rental management and all those other issues. So that’s when I decided to make this product and I wanted to make it for myself because I wanted to solve my problem. It turned out that a lot of people also wanted to solve the same problem.”
Likewise, Gautam Sunuwar’s team LAK TAA AI built an AI app that improves delivery services by identifying the best delivery partners and the quickest routes.
“As an AI analyst, I always thought about where to apply this particular technology in our Bhutanese market. I found the internal logistics highly unstructured, so, I tried to use AI for route optimisation, tracking and for making a structured platform for deliveries.”
The Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship funded the event through the Economic Stimulus Programme and organized in collaboration with Thimphu TechPark Limited.
“The Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship conducts lots of entrepreneurship promotion events and this is one of them. We have all come together for this event with the common objective of promoting innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in the country,” said Chumo Wangmo, Chief Programme Officer, Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship, MoICE.
The event was co-organised domestically by Druk Holding and Investments, GovTech Agency, Samuh Mediatech, Loden Foundation, and iHUB. Internationally, the partners were Techstars (USA) and Aim Ventures (Dubai).
The National Startup Weekend returned after a four-year hiatus, and this time, it focused on collaboration and development in emerging technologies for aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs.
Kelzang Chhophyel
Edited by Sonam Pem
