From Beach to Boardroom: Upcycled Towels and Hearing Tech Top Malta’s Student Entrepreneurs

Imagine this: a bustling beach in Mellieha, the sun beating down, and a pile of discarded towels waiting to be thrown away. Now imagine those towels, given a new lease of life, winning Malta’s top student entrepreneurship prize. This is the reality for two University of Malta students who took home the coveted title at the recent ‘Malta’s Got Talent: Entrepreneur Edition’.

Beach to Business: The Upcycled Towel Revolution

Meet Rebecca and Daniel, the brains behind ‘Sea to Sea’, an innovative startup that transforms old beach towels into stylish, eco-friendly bags. Their journey began on the very beaches they now clean up, inspired by the sheer amount of waste left behind by sun-worshippers.

“We saw a problem and decided to do something about it,” says Rebecca. “We started collecting old towels, cleaning them, and turning them into something useful. It was a win-win – we were reducing waste and creating unique products.”

Word spread quickly among the university crowd, and soon, Sea to Sea was a hit. But it wasn’t just the unique design that caught the judges’ attention at the entrepreneurship competition. It was the social and environmental impact.

Hearing Technology: Making Waves in Assistive Tech

While Rebecca and Daniel were busy upcycling on the beach, another University of Malta student was making waves in a different field. Meet Alex, the inventor of ‘HearMe’, a revolutionary hearing aid that connects directly to a user’s smartphone.

Alex, who is hard of hearing himself, saw a gap in the market. “Hearing aids are expensive, and they’re not always compatible with modern technology,” he explains. “I wanted to create something affordable and user-friendly.”

HearMe uses Bluetooth technology to stream sound directly from a smartphone to the hearing aid. It also includes a noise-cancelling feature and a customizable app for fine-tuning sound settings. The judges were impressed, awarding Alex second place and a significant investment to help bring HearMe to market.

Malta’s Got Talent: Entrepreneur Edition – A Launchpad for Innovation

The annual competition, now in its fifth year, is organized by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry. It aims to foster entrepreneurship among students, providing them with mentorship, funding, and a platform to showcase their ideas.

“We’re seeing more and more students with innovative, sustainable business ideas,” says the competition’s director. “Rebecca, Daniel, and Alex are perfect examples of the talent we have here in Malta.”

The winners received €10,000 in funding, mentorship from successful local entrepreneurs, and a year’s free office space at the Malta Chamber of Commerce. But perhaps the most valuable prize was the boost of confidence and exposure.

“Winning this competition has opened so many doors for us,” says Daniel. “We’re excited to grow Sea to Sea, create more jobs, and make a real difference to our environment.”

Alex, too, is . “This is just the beginning for HearMe. I can’t wait to see the impact it will have on people’s lives.”

As for the discarded towels on Mellieha beach? They’re still there, but now, they have a future. And that future is looking bright.