$100,000 business plan competition finalists announced
Seven outstanding new business ideas - selected from a strong field of entries across Australia will compete for the $100,000 prize in UQ Business School's Enterprize competition.
The ideas that will be showcased at Enterprize Pitch Day on Friday 16 October are:
- A new technology for hybrid and electric vehicle drivetrains
- A suite of therapeutic treatments for colorectal cancer
- Products to prevent/ alleviate heat stress on the body
- Compiling, analysing and viewing large amounts of complex financial data into simple compelling animation
- Unique free-standing shelters designed to protect lives in extreme bush or wild fires
- A revolutionary structural polymer coating technology for major infrastructure
- A nanotech start-up in large-scale production of carbon nanotubes.
Dean of UQ Business School Professor Tim Brailsford said the competition was one way the School communicated new knowledge to the business community.
He said, "Some of these ideas will go on to be worldwide success stories - it may take 5, 10, or even 20 years but these are ideas whose time will come."
"UQ Business School awards the $100,000 prize with no strings attached. The funds are awarded solely for the purpose of commercialising the winning idea."
Brailsford said all the Enterprize finalists will also receive an entrepreneur's pack from i.lab, the Queensland Government's technology incubator and long-time sponsor of Enterprize.
He said, "I congratulate the 2009 finalists: DataMovie™, Encase, GRW Industries, OAK Carbon, ToughSkin, Tritium and Warrapharm Pty Ltd.
For more information about Enterprize see www.enterprize.uq.edu.au. To enquire about Pitch Day please e-mail events@business.uq.edu.au.
About the finalists:
- DataMovie™ - is designed to turn large amounts of complex financial data into easy to understand animations.
- Encase - is a unique, free-standing shelter designed to protect lives in a bushfire or wildfire.
- GRW Industries (CoolMe Technology) - is a series of cost effective, cooling products designed to help limit the impact of heat stress on the body.
- OAK Carbon is a nanotech start-up in large-scale production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs).
- ToughSkin - is a revolutionary polymer coating technology designed to be applied to upgrades and repairs of major infrastructure projects fast, cost effective and safe.
- Tritium is a company designing specialised electronics for hybrid and electric vehicles that offers unprecedented combination of performance, flexibility and functionally to vehicle manufacturers and end users.
- Warrapharm Pty Ltd - is a company designing a suite of therapeutic reformulations that offer an improved side-effect profile in the treatment of colorectal cancer.
