Entre Prize Giving Success For All Except Those Who Didn’t Win Anything

by Lucy-Jane // September 28 2009

This year’s éntre prize-giving kicked off to a roaring start as nervous participants entered Christchurch’s spacious Art Gallery entrance.  With $95,000 worth of prizes up for grabs and a speech from Eric Hertz, C.E.O of new mobile company, 2degrees, the event promised to achieve its goal, celebrating student’s entrepreneurship, hard work and ingenuity.

Student run and managed, éntre is Canterbury’s entrepreneurship challenge. Participants from all around the university are required to submit a service or product with a fully functional operations and financial plan to the panel of judges. This year there were dozens of entrants, with 45 participants in the 10k section, with 10 cash prizes of $1,000 up for grabs, and 6 finalists in the 75k challenge.

Memorable were Akzea, an automotive engine block heater for the Alaskan market; Aquifer Systems, a sub-irrigation product that improves the water efficiency of horticulturalists; Taxibus, a software program that combines the bests aspects of buses, cars and taxis; and even Gizmo, a solar powered chilly bin which promised that the “hotter the day, the colder the beer”.

75k participants worked closely with their mentors, all experts in their industry. They also attended two Bright Ideas Workshops, teaching them skills for teamwork, how to come up with ideas and to find commercial opportunities in their intellectual pursuits.

Guest speaker Eric Hertz also provided his own encouragement, beginning his speech with a recap of his day, a blow by blow account of all the roles his cell phone now holds in his life.  Entrepreneurship’s place in society, he believed, was summed up in New Zealand’s cell phone network.  “There is always room for improvement” he said.

Unfortunately only one qualifier could walk away with the grand prize of $40,000, $20,000 of which is in cash. This year’s winner was TaxiBus. Taxibus offers its customers what its name suggests, a Taxi and bus like service. The software allows companies to pick multiple people up from their houses and drop them off at their intended destination. It is cheaper and more economical than a taxi, but more convenient than a bus. Two years in the making, it has already had considerable interest from several commercial transport providers.

Of interest, Damian Sims, this year’s competitions manager was also named the new C.E.O for éntre next year.

Those interested in participating in éntre can contact ceo@entre.canterbury.ac.nz for more information