A group of students from the master’s program in Engineering and Innovation at CETYS University Mexicali Campus took home first place in the Border Entrepreneurial Challenge (BEC) 2023 in the Alumni/Entrepreneurs category with a proposal aimed to achieve water savings in domestic use through the utilization of the Internet of Things and digital applications.

Ana Karen Jáuregui-Barajas, Mauricio Omar Ritchie-Flores, Luis Alberto Meléndrez-Hernández, and Héctor Javier Ramírez-Hernández represented CETYS University at the event, held from March 9th to 12th, 2023, at Arizona Western College of the Northern Arizona University in Yuma.

To accomplish this, the team selected a topic fundamental to the social and economic development of the region, which promotes international cooperation for better water management. In recognition of the work, the CETYS graduate project received certification, and the team strengthened ties with members of Northern Arizona University and investors, who will guide them in formalizing their entrepreneurial proposal.

«As our topic was the importance of water conservation in Baja California and an idea for an alternative way to save water while encouraging people to care for it, one of the main achievements we had as a team was to raise awareness among participants and judges about something that is impacting our State and us as a society, and that will only worsen if appropriate measures are not taken,» said Ana Karen Jáuregui-Barajas.

She added that this experience was valuable for learning how to combine business models with social impact initiatives, what a Business Model Canvas is and how it works, and how to profile entrepreneurship for success; lifelong lessons that she and her teammates can apply in their professional lives.

The 2023 edition of the BEC featured more than 30 participants from various universities in California and Arizona, United States, and Baja California and Sonora, Mexico, in the Students, Alumni/Entrepreneurs, and Active Business Owners categories. They all had the opportunity to present their potential business ideas to a committee of academics and investors and participated in guided work sessions with mentors.

The BEC’s central themes included the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which address Goal 6, ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, including actions to improve water quality, increase water use efficiency, and protect and restore water-related ecosystems.