Spark qualifiers face a heavy workload to success

22 August 2011

Twelve business ideas from students and staff across The University of Auckland have won selection as the qualifiers for this year’s Spark $100K Challenge – but that’s just the start of some very hard work.

The qualifiers – ranging from road safety and neuro-science research to utilising Maori knowledge in health programmes, and cost-effective organic weed control – will now go through to the Launch Pad programme, involving eight weeks of intensive training, mentoring and workshops.

During this time they will develop business plans to be presented to judges followed by a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitching session which will test their communications skills, before waiting with baited breath at the October 19 grand prize-giving to see if they have snaffled a share of the $80,000 cash and prizes up for grabs.

“This point in the competition is a crucial one that often separates the passionate from those less confident in their business idea,” Spark’s 2011 chief executive Shaun Tan says. “It involves a lot of work and thought, and the superior ideas normally rise to the top from here.”

The Challenge, which is in its ninth year, is New Zealand’s premier business planning competition, and open to past and present students and staff. Run by a student committee, the Challenge is the perfect launch pad for students and staff from all disciplines to transform their ideas into real businesses.

Up for grabs is a prize pool which includes mentoring and feedback from industry experts, business workshops, seed capital and business incubation for ideas. Past winning ideas include; ventures offering wireless power solutions and other hi-tech products, ‘green’ compost toilets, innovative health products and global poverty solutions. This year’s line-up of Qualifiers is:

IntelliEye
Focusing on driver distraction and drowsiness, this revolutionary product will endeavour to minimise the rate of fatalities and injuries due to traffic accidents by using innovative techniques of computer vision.

Thought Wired
With a mission to ensure that everyone enjoys adequate quality of living, regardless of age and physical abilities, Thought Wired offers an integrated assistive solution for users to interact with others and improve their quality of life for aged and disabled.

Silicon Nervous System
A web-based initiative to improve productivity of neuroscience research will maximise the use of valuable research funding by eliminating the dependence on hand-written lab books to record experimental data.

The Writers Diet
Is your writing flabby or fit? The Writers Diet offers is free electronic feedback tool for writers who want to shape up their sentences. The Wasteline Test has proven popular with academics , university and high school students and many other types of writers.

Garden Tech
An organic product that provides a cost effective, time-saving and green alternative to weed control, Garden Tec’s product is organic, environmentally friendly and completely harmless to humans and animals.

Click World
This novel technique allows the construction of 3D models using image sequences acquired from different view directions by anyone with access to a consumer-level camera.

The Translator
A translating device that converts sign languages made by deaf or mute individuals into readable words is hoped to help disabled people to convey their thoughts more efficiently.

Wero
Designing evidence-based behavioural interventions and using the latest internet technologies such as iPads, Wero uses Maori knowledge and values to promote health and wellbeing through technology.

Ballseye
With a newly created a piece of tennis equipment, Ballseye has overcome a major pain point in tennis coaching lessons and can now offer improved productivity from sports coaching.