Joe Abass Bangura, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Life by Design, a local organization which spots and helps develop young talented Sierra Leoneans with innovative skills, has announced that the organization would conduct a six-week programme titled: “Youngers Innovation Pitch” which would serve as a platform for youths to direct their creative energy into productive ventures.
Bangura announced this on Friday June 12, 2020, at the Organization’s headquarter at Old Railway Line in Freetown.
According to CEO Bangura, they are looking for twelve young Sierra Leonean innovators who have done some innovative work already that would be part of a nationwide competition.
He revealed that 12 of these individuals would be selected, whilst the best three would win a prize and be promoted in pitching their innovations. He said, “creative minds cannot be kept still or inactive.”
He emphasized that competition would give the selected participants the opportunity to further enhance their innovative skills and those with fully developed products or inventions would be connected to Angel Venture Capitalists who would help market their inventions.
He further said that the eliminations and finals would be aired on AYV TV on Sundays at 4:30 pm and repeated on Wednesdays.
Head of Production at Life by Design, Daniel Moore, explained that the opportunity for wide entries of youths between the ages 15-25 with innovative ideas, and video entries could be sent to WhatsApp Numbers 099199335/030600600. He further said that because of the outbreak of the Coronavirus twelve persons who would be selected would be announced on June 27, 2020.
He said that entries submitted in video form would be screened by tech experts who would then choose qualifiers to be announced on partner Television and Radio Stations. Moore also said that the elimination for the other two stages would be announced on a weekly basis on the LBD show on AYV and Afri Radio.
He added that there would be a second elimination exercise to further scale down the number of entries to 6 by the same panel of judges.
Three out of the 6 entries who successfully proceeded from the second round of the eliminations would further be further proceed to the Final where they would have the opportunity of pitching their innovation to a group of technical experts and prospective Venture Capital investors.
He concluded that the three unsuccessful semi-finalists would have; Africell Data, 100,000 Afri Money each, and the finalists would each have one free wifi Dongle with one month free Data, youngers Bank Account with the partner Bank, a period of internship with one of the Partner Institutions, a patent Rights registration, development of innovation , commercialization and marketing of innovation.
By Desmond Tunde Coker
16/6/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7846