On Tuesday evening, three lucky teams participating in “The Big Idea” competition went home with enormous checks, both in size and in quantity. In total $50,000 was awarded.
The winning teams included Kadi Energy in first place, awarded $25,000, iDro in second place, awarded $15,000, and Colorado Springs Food Rescue in third place, awarded $10,000. The other two competitors included Friendlier and Bene.
The Kadi Energy team presenters included Paul-miki Akpablie, Usaama Alnaji, and Samantha Barlow. Their company aims to bring reliable power to the citizens of Ghana, who have little to no access to electricity. They’ve developed a solar phone charger that is affordable and has a long life expectancy in order to appeal to those in Ghana who don’t have the resources to charge their cell phones at a typical charging station. They’ve already raised $8,000 from an Indiegogo campaign, and have received much recognition.
The second place, iDro, is comprised of Fred Lindseth and Jeremy Harlam. They’ve developed a fully automated hydroponics system in which users can grow produce in their own homes with the help of an app. They also competed in the Colorado Startup Challenge in March, in which they took first place.
With the money, they say they plan to develop the first version of their app and continue making improvements to their current prototype.
“Our main goal is to use this money as effectively as possible to keep the momentum going,” Lindseth said.
The third place team, Colorado Springs Food Rescue was represented by Daniel Lewis and Meredith Bird. The organization plans to develop a real-time app in which both donors and volunteer deliverers can be notified of food in need of delivery.
The event was hosted by Patrick Bultema, the Executive Director of the Innovation Institute and started with President of Colorado College Jill Tiefenthaler thanking the various contributors to the event. Each team was given ten minutes to present their “big ideas,” and the judging panel had five minutes to ask any follow-up questions.
After each team had presented, the panel of five judges deliberated for about 20 minutes while the three hosts of Critical Karaoke, a new radio show on KRCC, gave a brief presentation about their show. The judges re-entered the stage bearing three massive checks made out to the winning teams, and the checks were awarded.
The Big Idea competition falls under the umbrella of the Innovation Institute of Colorado College, an organization helping students explore innovative and creative opportunities. This is the competition’s third consecutive year.