Big Ideas Camp: spate of big ideas!
Innovations are similar to "blue ocean" in business *: it is not easy to get out, but there are no competitors there, and there is much more chance of success if the idea is good. It is interesting that when an idea of some breakthrough innovation comes someone's bright head, it can be guaranteed that at the same time, several people on the Earth have the same (or close in meaning) business idea. And here it is more important who acts more quickly, far-sightedly and more ambitiously implement his project.
Why do ideas come to different people at the same time? If you believe in existence of egregores, then, probably, there is an egregor of innovations, inventions, discoveries and inspiration, from which those who connect to it draw strength. A kind of ecosystem of innovation. If you create such in a single country, a nation of start-ups can appear (as Israel is now called, South Korea and Singapore are close to it), if in a separate area, Silicon Valley emerges. But in any case, a breakthrough requires a critical mass, creation of an appropriate entrepreneurial culture. A joint project of ERG (Eurasian Group) with Almaty Management University and Association of Friends of Tel Aviv University, entitled "Ecosystem of Student Entrepreneurship" - is just about that. The project has been developing since 2015, during this time 9 universities from 4 regions of the country were involved: Karaganda, Pavlodar, Kostanay and Aktobe regions.
Last week, Pavlodar hosted a camp, summing up an intermediate result of great work of partners, - Summer School of Entrepreneurs Big Ideas Camp. Children from 4 regions studied process of creating a business, developed an idea, a business plan, made presentations, and last day defended their projects to investors. What came of it, read in our materials.
Would you like to have eternal sneakers?
The first place and the main prize in the amount of 500 000 tenge was received by ABK team ("It was cool!"). Here are the names of the winners: Nikita Savin, Gulnaz Kuanyshbaeva, Alexandra Kim (Karaganda State Medical University), Galiya Kaiyrberlina (Karaganda State University).
Probably, manufacturers of sports equipment will not like the invention of ABK team. The guys suggested the idea of a sponge impregnated with a special solution based on white spirit, which not only cleans dirty shoes, but removes "old age" and again brings your sneakers to vendibility.
- It all began when I went to the country house and messed up my sneakers, - says the team captain, Nikita Savin, - I tried to wipe off with a wet rag - no results. When I came home, I took “White Spirit”, for sure each of you came across such a liquid, moistened a rag in it and started to wipe the shoes. And I noticed an interesting thing: together with fresh mud, all the old dirt had gone. As a result, the idea of a pocket sponge was born, which does not erase paint, not dust, but aging. You carry it with you, use, one movement - and your shoes are new again! Why can’t we turn it into something that is accessible to all? But so far this idea remained in me at the level of the idea, and the camp and the guys helped me to raise it to a new level.
- Did you expect to win?
- Absolutely not! Because there were 16 teams in the camp, some of them had such strong projects, in general, the competition was worthy. I had an internal goal to perform well, that I liked it myself. And when we finished, just relaxed and did not even think that it would be possible to take a check.
- What helped you to win?
- Firstly, huge support of our mentor, Alma-TV's PR-manager Alina Abileva, who together with us did not sleep at night that whole week, helped us to bring our idea. Secondly, we were lucky that on the last night, another mentor of the project, AlmaU teacher Dmitry Ogay, suggested that we change the concept, replace napkins for shoes with a sponge with a plastic handle.
He quickly looked at our project and said that napkins touch with hands and girls with manicure will refuse, fearing damage to their nails, in addition, impregnating the product with special solution can frighten people that this affects hand skin, etc. Then we thought, how can you avoid contact with the skin? We arranged a brainstorm, the girls had hygienic lipstick, in the form of a cup, they found somewhere a piece of foam rubber and decided that it would be a sponge. And they quickly changed their performance to a new product. As a result, sponge was more convenient and attractive than napkins.
In addition to the grant, ABK project will receive support of the business incubator of AlmaU Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development during the year.
I without a prosthesis as without hands
This is similar to black humor, in fact - this is a branded joke of another team - Nurteam (mentor of the team is AlmaU teacher Vladislav Ostrovsky), who proposed solving problems for people who had lost their upper extremities. Kazbionic project (bionic hand prostheses with voice and impulse control) has serious prospects, especially considering how many people with disabilities in Kazakhstan are forced to purchase bioprostheses abroad, or (in lack of money, etc.) manage a mechanical analogue that performs only a decorative function.
The guys offered their own developed bionic (functional) arm prosthesis, which costs no more than 90 000 tenge and reacts to muscle impulses. True, the team presented a prototype with voice control to the jury, which was also impressive. At the command of the students, the bionic hand unclenched and squeezed fingers, showed various gestures, and at the end raised the thumb, as if to say: "Everything is fine!"
The "brain" of the team - Eldos Sabit from Innovative University of Eurasia became interested in the issue of prosthetics of hands after the phalanx of the index finger on his left hand was cut off (he is fond of wood carving). It was not possible to restore the lost limb in hospital, and Eldos himself began to solve the problem. Fundamental approach of the team to the problem is impressive, we are sure that we will hear more about Kazbionic project.
Landmark on social responsibility
Among the startups announced on the project, surprisingly many of them are socially oriented - besides the already mentioned Kazbionic, students want to launch an application that solves problems of finding a nursing service, an Internet service that helps to find each other's tutors and parents of school children, etc.
For example, the team of SmartSystems (mentor-consultant of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Leila Makhmudova) proposed an idea of a Bluetooth-bracelet with a chip-sticker for personal gadgets and other valuables. The project is called Plan B. The sticker can be glued to the thing and when it is more than 2 meters away, the bracelet emits signals and vibrates to warn about it. An excellent solution to prevent pocket theft and forgotten things.
Tekhnodom team (mentor - Dmitry Ogai) wants to develop “Saul Bol” application, which will help transform unorganized provision of medical services at home into an organized market. Indeed, how often injections, droppers at home from dubious professionals turn into trouble, and even tragedy. A new application will help to find each other patients, on the one hand, and nurses, doctors, nurses and carers, on the other.
"Tap of Thanos" team (mentor - head of AlmaU business incubator Daniyar Medetov) named their project for manufacturing a smart device (bracelet for headphones) Wrap Wrap. Many of us are faced with such a problem as broken headphone holes during running. The guys suggested to solve this problem by making a prototype of a bracelet for winding these headphones.
Among the criteria that the jury adhered to was the needs assessment (relevance and innovation of the project, a clear justification for client’s need of a product or service); thoughtful interaction with a user, working out a canvas business model, understanding success indicators of the project of key risks and areas of responsibility within the team, prototyping or minimal viable product, mastery and originality of the project presentation. The jury composed of: Director of Corporate Communications Department of Eurasian Group Fatima Kossaeva; Director of Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development of Almaty Management University Ksenia Yuzhaninova; Vice President of Association of Friends of Tel Aviv University Sania Arapova; entrepreneur, founder and owner of Almaty Hostel Dom Shakir Islambekiev; entrepreneur, director of Youth Union of Kazakhstan Youth Challenge Ersyn Aidargazin and expert of the department of human capital development of Atameken of Pavlodar region Asiya Zakaryanova - each team received valuable comments and advice on business promotion.
A total of 72 students took part in Summer School of Entrepreneurship (16 teams). Among 8 universities that gave students opportunity to study at Big Ideas Camp, Pavlodar State Pedagogical University, Innovative University of Eurasia, Aktyubinsk Regional State University. K. Zhubanov, Aktobe Polytechnic College, Kostanai University of Engineering and Economics, Rudny Industrial Institute, Karaganda State Medical University, Karaganda State University.
The sponsors of the project are LAMODA, Business & Power newspaper and The Village.
