Many of us have ideas for businesses, products or projects that we think could become something successful **—**possibly even change the world. But very few of us actually have the guts to actually make them happen.
So when Virgin Money and Start (a part of Business in the Community) put the call out for budding entrepreneurs and ideas people of all sorts to enter a sustainable start-up competition as part of May’s Be the Start campaign, they were thrilled when over 80 sustainable ideas were submitted from across the UK.
With a £10,000 prize up for grabs, the competition will offer the winner an incredible opportunity to scale up their business, project, product or idea.
“The #BetheStart competition has a number of goals at its heart,” says Lauren Stern, Brand & Marketing Manager at Start. “It’s about uncovering ideas that could become solutions to real sustainability challenges and also to inspire people of all walks of life to think about starting up a sustainable business or social enterprise that could improve the way we do things and as Virgin Money says, could help 'make everyone better off.' In addition, we’re also hoping to influence other companies to think about seeking out and investing in people and groups who have sustainable ideas that could become successful businesses and potential suppliers. The opportunity here is massive.”
From 80 down to five — now we’re broadcasting live!
Virgin Money and Start have joined forces with the team at Google in order to take the competition to a public audience. On the 9th August at 2pm GMT, the five finalists will be pitching their ideas live during this Google Hangout event, to a panel of esteemed judges including: Richard Gillies (M&S), Matt Sexton (B&Q), Caroline Taylor (IBM) and Alan Knight (BITC).
The judges will be questioning the contestants and putting them through their paces in an effort to make the tough decision as to who should win the grand prize of £10k.
The winner will then also be announced live in part two of the Hangout — The Results Show, at 3.30pm.
Meet the #BetheStart competition finalists
These are our five amazing finalists. Regardless of who wins, we’re sure we’ll be seeing more from all five:
- Misfits
We make tasty dried fruit snacks from produce that would usually be rejected for not conforming to the ideals of fruit beauty. We provide healthy alternative to traditional snacking whilst reducing the tonnes of food that get wasted in the UK.
- The DoNation
We believe that making the world a better place is about actions, not money, so we help people to make small changes and inspire others to do the same. We do this in two ways:
1. Donate by Doing — turning sponsorship on its head; asking people for actions, not cash.
2. Do Good for Business
- The Edible Bus Stop
Transforming forgotten sites across transport networks into valuable community growing spaces. Starting with bus stops, we know the project can be scaled up to tubes, trams, rail stations & bigger transport hubs. Using growing veg as a tool to get people interacting, learning & growing together.
- GiveMeTap
We created a reusable bottle that can change the world. The GiveMeTap bottle enables you to get free tap water from a network of cafes in the UK, to reduce plastic bottle waste and save people money. Furthermore, every GiveMeTap bottle sold helps to provide one person in Africa with clean water.
- Project BeesWax
We aim to improve pollination outcomes for fruit and crop growers globally by locating scarce beehives in the mathematically optimum location to ensure best fruit set. We also intend to help ornamental gardens and commons with locating bumblebee refuges and wild bee patches.
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Published Aug 7, 2013 5pm EDT / 2pm PDT / 10pm BST / 11pm CEST