Explore, Dream, and Discover

Thinking Outside the Box

Do you have bold/big ideas that are sustainable, innovative, inspired by teamwork, and multidisciplinary?

Are you being so protective of your ideas? Be informed that:

Ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.

The most brilliant idea, with no execution, is worth $20.

The most brilliant idea takes great execution to be worth $20,000,000.

–Derek Sivers.

Why not make your ideas public? sharing your ideas might:

• open the door to feedback from others who can help nurture and develop it.
• attract people who have complementary skills to join your team and help you transform it into business.
• attract potential investors who can provide the needed startup capital.

Turning an Idea into a Business

Transforming your ideas into business usually requires money, mentorship, or both. The following are platforms where you can share your ideas to get mentorship and funding, ask questions, start conversations, give feedback on other people’s ideas, network and make connections.

• Ideator: created to foster global innovation and entrepreneurship by connecting business brains and ideas with the resources needed to successfully build a business. You develop your idea first, you then create a team by inviting people to collaborate with you, advisors and investors can then find you, follow you, offer you support and when you’re ready, you can entertain offers to sell your business ideas or receive funding and launch. Your ideas may be selected by ideators to receive backing through the Ideator Fund.
• Idea Challenge or Competitions- these are business challenges running across industries such as:
  • Santander University
    • Big Ideas by Santander Universities: created to help identify ways to overcome some of the key technological issues facing the financial industry (up to £20,000 for grabs). Most importantly, you retain the right of ownership for your ideas and prototypes. To participate, you have to be a student studying at a UK university, or you’ve graduated in the last 5 years, you can take part. The challenge is focused on the following three areas: The Future Of Semantic Search, The Future Of Digital Authentication, and The Future Of Virtual Banking. Previous winners.
    • The 60 Second Pitch Awards by Santander University (up to £1,500 and business support and advice!): created for those can ‘wow’ an audience with a sensational new business idea, concept or product in 60 seconds. Make sure your pitch is creative, innovative or funny. Ensure you appeal to the public. Link to previous winners.
    • Other Competitions: Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards (previous winners)
  • European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Digital Challenge: created to accelerate the market uptake of research-based digital technologies focusing on Europe’s strategic, societal challenges which include Digital Industry, Digital Cities, Digital Wellbeing and Digital Infrastructure (up to €50,000 for the best team in each field). IET select the 15 most innovative European start-ups in these fields and help them succeed globally. Previous winners.
  • Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge
  • Accelerator London
  • Open Data Incubator for Europe
  • Centre for Challenge Prizes
  • Big Ideas Wales
  • Project Firefly

 Resources and Links

• Finance options available to start-ups and small businesses
• How to get venture capital funding for your open data business
• Santander Universities SME Internship Programme
• Enterprise Toolkit
• Top 20 Reasons Startups Fail
• How Investors Recognize a Successful Startup Early On
• Asia Pacific Ph.D. Challenge
• IET Innovation & Entrepreneurship
• IET Professional Training Courses
• Innovative Approaches to Doctoral Education
• University of Bradford Digital Health Enterprise Zone (DHEZ)
• Impact Investments
• Google Careers
• Facebook for Business
• Twitter for Business
• LinkedIn for Business and LinkedIn or Small Busines
• Innovate UK
• Tech City UK
• Startups Africa

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