Cédric Azémia, a final-year Blended MBA student who will graduate in March 2019, recently won the National Innovation Challenge of Mauritius. It is a competition organised by the Mauritius Research council under the aegis of the Ministry of Technology of Mauritius. Cédric is also the first USB student who is from Mauritius.

More about the competition

During my MBA, I made an application to participate in this National Innovation Challenge of Mauritius. This competition aims to nurture and spur entrepreneurs in Mauritius for sustainable business growth. I pitched my idea, which is an emergency app for Mauritius. The name of the mobile application is “MAUSAFE” (which also means Mauritius Safe). I was a finalist and to my surprise, I was the winner of this challenge and I won money as seed funding for the implementation of my project. I will officially launch my company in 2019 and eventually aim to grow it quickly. This type of competition can be very useful if one is seeking for seed funding for start-ups. I continuously encourage my friends and colleagues to make proper use of the opportunities that are offered in their countries.

“The blended mode allowed me to keep my job and study at the same time.”

Here he answers a few questions about his USB journey.

Q: Why did you decide to study at USB?

A: I decided to pursue a postgraduate degree at USB because I wanted to invest my money into my education. An investment which is not only worth it but also one that will bring me more than just monetary return but also values. I also decided to choose USB because of the triple crown accreditation which indicates its high education standard and international recognition. But above all it’s the blended mode of the MBA which was the most significant aspect in my decision towards choosing to pursue my MBA at USB. The blended mode allowed me to keep my job and study at the same time. I could attend all my lectures online from Mauritius. Due to the importance of contact time with lecturers, I was also required to travel to USB three times over two years. It was a great opportunity for me to discover the beauty of South Africa through Cape Town and to meet new people which eventually became very good friends.

“During my MBA, I also learned what I really wanted to do in my life, which is to become an entrepreneur.”

Q: What are some of the key learnings you took from the MBA?

A: There is a plethora of key learnings I took from the programme. One key learning is from the leadership module from which I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I am a resilient person, with high emotional intelligence. I learned about empathy which is really important in terms of leadership and creativity. I also learned a lot in my International Study Module at Bentley University in Boston. It’s the first time I had so much fun while learning in my life. Design thinking was a real discovery to me and which I will certainly use a lot in the future. Learning other cultures and perspectives was very enriching. During my MBA, I also learned what I really wanted to do in my life, which is to become an entrepreneur. I did my electives in Strategy Business Model and Start Up, which I found very practical and from which I learned a lot. Although it has been a very hard journey for me, I truly enjoyed my MBA and I am very glad I learned so much from it. I am now equipped with the tools and developed key values for my future.