It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week this week, a chance to look at and celebrate the many talented and entrepreneurial people around the world who are creating business, industry and jobs for society. What better way to kick-start the week than by celebrating our last Young Entrepreneurs Challenge Winner Nick Cotter from Ireland!
Each year, Unloc and our partner Verizon seek out the best of fresh young business talent from across Europe, seeking young and budding entrepreneurs with fresh tech-led ideas to pitch their concept to our panel of industry experts.
The Winner receives £10,000 funding for their business idea, a mentorship package, support, and entry to the One Young World Global Summit.
Nick represented his start-up company ‘Cotter Agritech’, and beat amazingly fierce competition from the other finalists at our Grand Final event earlier this year, blowing our judging panel away with his idea for a system for livestock farmers to better use anti-parasitic drugs:
Nick said: “Our company developed a system that uses advanced algorithms to enable livestock farmers transition from blanket treating animals with anti-parasitic drugs – to a very precise application by identifying and targeting only the animals that need treatment. This approach reduces anti-parasitic drug use by up to 50%, which reduces costs, prevents against parasite resistance, and reduces impacts on biodiversity.”
“To even be shortlisted for the final was a huge honour, so to win was an absolute bonus. I couldn’t believe we had won, it was just unbelievable. The quality of the other 4 finalists was very high, medtech, sustainable clothing, the other ideas were very current and relevant to the challenges of the current global climate.”
“It’s a huge boost to have Verizon and Unloc recognise the innovation ongoing in Agriculture, to shine a light on it, and support this type of innovation. It’s a huge vote of confidence in sustainable animal production. We have invested the prize in the production of video testimonials with test farmers who used the solution, so the funding has been of huge immediate value in kickstarting our launch and accelerating uptake and adoption, and we’re very grateful to Unloc and Verizon for their support.”
So how did Global Entrepreneurship Week start?
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation originally created Global Entrepreneurship Week in 2008 with the aim to highlight entrepreneurship as a driver of economic growth. Entrepreneurs are industry creators – generating business, employment, and boosting the economy. They expand the jobs market and bring new and innovative ideas to industry.
These include more sustainable alternatives, improved products or services, less environmentally damaging products or solutions, and more sophisticated technology.
More than ever entrepreneurs are tackling important world issues such as climate change, poverty, starvation, famine, water supply, racial justice, mobility, water scarcity, inclusion and human rights.
Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrates all of this with events and stories from around the world. What began as a series of small events in the UK and United States in 2008 has now grown in size to over 165 countries around the globe!
Roughly 5% of the global population are entrepreneurs, that’s 582 million entrepreneurs worldwide!
Only 40% of these are under the age of 40 years old however – that’s something that we want to see change.
Business pitching competitions are held every year during the celebration, there could be one in your area – so if you have a great business idea or concept then be sure to check!
Time to make your mark on the business world!
Better yet, you can enter the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge from Unloc and Verizon Business. Our Europe-wide competition welcomes young people aged 16-25 to submit a tech-led business idea that improves people’s lives.
We’re seeking the best young minds from across Europe, young people with vision, social awareness and the ambition to achieve. It’s easy to enter, so what have you got to lose?
Our Grand Prize Winner will receive a whopping £10,000 / €11,000* grant, a mentorship package and pro-bono support to accelerate their business idea or start-up.
It’s the opportunity to make your mark, get noticed and put your ideas into action.
All shortlisted finalists will receive the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge Masterclass Support Programme. An assigned enterprise support mentor who will create a 1-2-1 support plan focusing on your key priorities.
These could be addressing knowledge gaps, or being matched with services. You will also receive a series of masterclasses across the next year on a range of topics and with a variety of industry expert speakers.
Last year’s masterclasses focused on: – Business Finance, Equity Sharing & Legal Structures, R&D, Strategic Planning + Forecasting
Nick has some words of wisdom for budding young entrepreneurs out there:
“Just go and do it – enter, because the sooner you find out whether it’s a good or bad idea, the sooner you find the right idea, and the sooner you can have an impact and achieve your ambitions. It’s just a fabulous experience to be a part of.“
“Startups go through 6-7 life and death moments every year, and some even every month, so awards like this are of huge value in terms of being undeniable achievements that you can’t deny from yourself, and you can look at them and they will give you the confidence to go with the idea, and keep moving forward.”
Got what it takes?
Visit: youngentreperneurschallenge.com or click here to find out more & apply!
