Idea Idol 2007 exceeded all expectations, not only with a 300% increase in entrants but with an unprecedented outcome in the competition. Three idols were crowned and two got far more than expected!

The three Oxford winners went forward to face the three winners from Cambridge University’s equivalent contest in The Varsity Pitch competition on 19 February at the Saïd Business School. For more information see www.varsitypitch.com

In a surprise turn of events, judges Dan Wagner and Sháá Wasmund side stepped the £5,000 prize pool and offered one student team (led by Thomas Whitfield, a Biochemistry DPhil student) unlimited access to a $100,000,000 fund to ensure their idea becomes a successful and profitable business as soon as possible. Judges Dan Wagner and Sháá Wasmund were so impressed with the concept of “Design The Time” that they offered the three man team funding from their own venture capital boutique ‘Bright Station Ventures’. The judges handed over a cheque for ‘whatever it takes’ and offered to work directly with the student start-up to develop their business and sell it for profit within 2 years.

Design the Time is a consumer media venture designed for people to watch and share time through a unique web experience. The idea is to literally sell time with individual minutes being purchased for $1US. Users will be able to store personal content – for those special moments such as a first kiss or the moment you won on Idea Idol – on provided servers for up to eternity. By using supplied designing tools or by uploading videos, photos and text people can leave their individual mark on time and let the whole world or simply somebody special, know about it. See www.designthetime.com

The other winning team was “Camerge”. Winning a prize of £4000, fronted by Bartu Ahiska, a Life Sciences DPhil student from The Queens College, and the technical mastermind of Vaclav Potesil; their idea is an algorithm that uses modern CCD/CMOS cameras to their full potential. Bartu explained that one of the most difficult issues with photography, particularly for the amateur, is the combination of lighting, aperture, and exposure time. The software improves automatic exposure balancing beyond that which is currently available, using simpler and more efficient means based on a model of the human eye, dramatically improving image quality. The full spectrum of cameras will benefit, from cheap camera-phones to high-end professional cameras as well as CCTV cameras. This will add significant value and functionality to the products at no increase to the manufacturing cost. www.camerge.com

The third winning team was Matoke Matoke who were awarded £1000. Jessica Mather-Hillon and Brad Chen have set up a fair trade company which will sell embroidered napkins made by women displaced by the civil war in Northern Uganda. Inspired by a visit to Uganda last year, as part of her medical studies, Jessica came up with the business idea to benefit those women who are currently living in ‘internally displaced people’ camps where poverty is rife.

 ‘Our napkins will include a photograph and a short biography of the woman who made it. Each napkin will therefore tell a powerful story: unique among fair trade goods. Revenue will be used to finance local business and health initiatives in Uganda as well as create a sustainable and profitable UK enterprise’ she said.  

Matoke Matoke impressed judge Bronwyn Kunhardt from Microsoft who offered to work with the team to develop their business plan for the Varsity Pitch event and for a possible trip to San Francisco to pitch the concept in another business plan competition for social entrepreneurs and access further funding.

Matoke Matoke were also winners of the £500 ‘People’s choice’ award, voted for by the audience.

In summing up, judge Katherine Mathieson, head of NESTA’s future innovators team, commented on how impressed the panel were by the quality of ideas and the energy, commitment and drive of all the individuals involved.