Science and Society, Technology

Introducing a new blog: The Bright Ideas Challenge

Remember last year’s What’s Your Problem New Zealand competition, won by Resene?

Well, Grow Wellington, the regional economic development agency which has been tasked with making greater Wellington internationally competitive, has come up with rather a fun idea.

bright ideas challenge

Entitled the Bright Ideas Challenge, the idea is to get Wellingtonians - any and all of them - with an idea which they think could become a successful business, to submit said idea to the Challenge.  The ideas will be taken through a couple of elimination rounds to winnow out the best of them, and there’s the opportunity to win 25 grand in seed capital, a place on the Bright Ideas Kickstart programme (also worth decent moolah), and of course the opportunity to connect with some seriously impressive people.

So, how do you get involved?  Well, the first step is to take your idea - anything from the most fleeting and fledgeling of suggestions to an existing business which could use some help expanding - and submit it, in no more than 100 words (hurrah) to the website.  Before 25 June.  Easy as that.

At the launch event last night, people were also warned to bring lots of energy as well :)  Lots.  Both by Nigel Kirkpatrick, Grow Wellington’s CEO, and by the three highly successful Wellington-based entrepreneurs who spoke of their highly successful businesses: Magritek, phil&ted’s and womama.

I’ve mentioned that we’re introducing a new blog.  And we are!  For the duration of the Challenge, it’s going to have a guest blog on Sciblogs.  Our first post this week is an introductory one from Nigel Kirkpatrick.  From then, you can expect a weekly post from a mix of scientists, business people, ideas people and other movers and shakers looking at what Bright Idea had a big impact on their lives.

So, get reading!  And thinking!  And submitting.  I’ve got one or two things that make me want to rub my hands together and say ‘muahahahahahaha’…