The world faces complex challenges, and addressing them requires fresh thinking, diverse perspectives, and innovative solutions. This philosophy was at the heart of the 2025 Global Solutions Lab, an impactful event hosted both online and in person at Drexel University’s Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship from June 16 to 20.

The Lab united a remarkable cohort of students and young professionals from around the globe. Participants hailed from diverse regions including Tbilisi, Georgia; Liberia; Malaysia; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and the United States, including three students from Drexel University. Their collective mission: to develop groundbreaking entrepreneurial strategies directly aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Collaboration and Cutting-Edge Tools

A key element of this year’s Lab was a dynamic partnership with EarthGame. Participants leveraged the NewWorld Game platform, an innovative tool that integrates artificial intelligence, global data, and strategic design. This powerful platform provided a collaborative environment, empowering teams to engage in impactful problem-solving and visualize the real-world implications of their ideas.

Over several intensive days, teams collaborated, refined their concepts, and ultimately pitched their solutions to a distinguished panel of leaders. This esteemed panel comprised experts from the United Nations, various non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry, bringing a wealth of real-world insight to the evaluation process.

Five Ideas Shaping a Sustainable Future

The 2025 Global Solutions Lab saw the emergence of five truly standout ideas, each offering a unique entrepreneurial approach to urgent global issues:

• Greening Cities: This team proposed ambitious reforestation and eco-friendly infrastructure projects specifically for Boma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their goal was to significantly reduce urban environmental degradation and enhance public health within the city.
• AI-Assisted Primary Education in Georgia: Addressing critical rural education gaps, this solution envisioned an offline AI platform designed to deliver personalized learning experiences and provide essential training for teachers in remote areas.
• Health and Healthcare with AI: This innovative team introduced a solar-powered mobile device aimed at improving maternal healthcare access in hard-to-reach communities, simultaneously promoting crucial digital health literacy among users.
• Glamour Goes Green: Reimagining the beauty industry, this strategy focused on integrating sustainable practices across the sector, including the implementation of refillable packaging, the development of clean ingredients, and fostering cross-sector collaborations for greater environmental impact.
• BioFarming4Food Security: This team launched a comprehensive plan for establishing regenerative agriculture training hubs, starting their initiative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their objective was to boost food production while actively preserving vital ecosystems.

Mentorship, Recognition, and Impact

Participants benefited immensely from expert mentorship, receiving invaluable guidance and feedback as they refined their entrepreneurial ventures. These mentors played a crucial role in shaping the viability and potential impact of each proposed solution.

The culmination of the Lab was the final presentation of these meticulously developed ideas to the judging panel. While the highly anticipated winner of the NewWorld Tournament will be officially announced in October, the impact of these projects extends far beyond the competition. All selected strategies are set to be featured in the upcoming publication, Designs for a World That Works for All, providing a broader platform for these innovative ideas.

The 2025 Global Solutions Lab powerfully highlighted the Close School’s unwavering commitment to fostering global innovation and provided an unparalleled opportunity for students to engage directly with real-world challenges using cutting-edge tools. Above all, it reaffirmed the Lab’s core mission: to empower emerging leaders to actively shape a more sustainable and inclusive future for everyone.