One hundred million new businesses are started around the world every year. Four of every five will fail in their first three years. In part that is because startups lack initial funding. Today, one of the most common and competitive ways to obtain startup funds is through pitch competitions. Like the popular show, Shark Tank, entrepreneurs work to market their budding business ventures in competitions all over the world. For young emerging entrepreneurs, the Global Student Entrepreneur Award, (GSEA), offers an opportunity to win $100,000 and gain global attention at their annual awards event. “Own The Room” follows five young entrepreneurs from disparate corners of the planet as they travel to Macau, China to compete for that coveted award.
We meet Santosh Pandey as his friends celebrate his national win, qualifying him for the GSEA competition. Santosh, representing Nepal, is the founder of Offering Happiness, a surprise buying service. Imagine a gift shop where you can purchase flowers, but also have them delivered in a decorated vehicle with a personal message, confetti, and music. This is the type of service Offering Happiness provides. We learn about the inspiration for his business as he talks about the mass exodus of Nepalese leaving to find work elsewhere due to poverty.
Alondra Toldeo, representing Puerto Rico, decided to start her business, an app called Understand, to address a need that emerged in her community after Hurricane Maria in 2017. We follow her resilience and determination to stay in Puerto Rico where 130,000 residents fled after the hurricane.
Henry Onyango, representing Kenya, started his business Roometo to address a specific need he had. In going to University there were few housing opportunities for students, and no resources available to help find arrangements. Roometo addressed that service gap in Kenya.
Jason Hadzikostas, representing Greece, is introduced as he carries a baby doll through the streets of Thessaloniki. He created an innovative app to help new moms understand what their babies want when they cry. iCry2Talk can translate a baby’s cry to assess their needs. Are they hungry, in pain, or in need of a diaper change? The app offers needed help for new moms that are often overwhelmed and unsure.
Daniela Blanco, representing the United States, is the co-founder of Sunthetics. Sunthetics uses solar energy to synthesize nylon in a sustainable way. We meet Daniela as she is about to compete for the Nationals. Her win is even more inspirational when we learn she is from Venezuela. Daniela came to New York City to study, leaving her supportive mom behind. As a Venezuelan on a Student Visa, her win as the representative of the United States offers an inspirational reminder of the American Story.
As the Global competition gets closer, we get to know the competitors and their innovative products better. We see their homes and meet their mentors, family, and friends. Interviews with four of the five competitors’ families offer more insight into their differences in daily life experience while also showing us that families all over the world share so many things in common. Henry’s parents talk of the pride they will have for their son and Kenya if he wins. Soon after, we see Alondra’s family echoing the same sentiments. All of the young entrepreneurs are undaunted. All have optimism and confidence about their future despite the obstacles they face.
There are varying levels of loss and challenge during each student’s journey to Macau. They come from places where people are leaving in large numbers to find better opportunities or a safer life. Santosh and Henry face poverty in their home countries. Daniela left the unrest in Venezuela by coming to New York City to go to school. Even so, she explains that her win in the Nationals was as much for Venezuela as for the United States. Despite the difficulties, they all wanted to bring a win home. The two female competitors, Daniela and Alondra, were two of only eight women of the fifty one contestants for the global award. Whether women were unfairly shut out of the competition was not addressed in the Documentary, but the odds of securing a spot in the competition clearly favored male contestants. We witness an example of discrimination through Henry’s attempt to get to Macau for the competition. At the Macau airport, he is held and deported back to Kenya because he does not have the required amount of money to enter. Henry believes his appearance and skin color were the real reason, as none of the other students had to present proof of how much money they brought. Thankfully, Henry does end up getting to Macau, just moments before his pitch start time.
In a post-premiere panel interview, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Directors Darren Foster and Christina Costantini explained that The Nationals had not even been completed before they started interviewing potential students for “Own the Room.” By the time they settled on the five student entrepreneurs to focus on, they were watching the global competition unfold, much like the audience will, without knowing the eventual outcome. While watching, you begin to feel like you know the entrepreneurs which is a testament to the skill of the directors. There are moments of heartbreak, adversity, and disappointment. But, ultimately, it is an uplifting story of hope, comradery, resilience, and inspiration. We are left with a winner, but so much more. As one of the five that did not win said, “when they won, we won.”
“Own the Room” premieres on March 12th on Disney +.
Written by Michelle Haab
Evan Conroy
Ron Peterson