Five entrepreneurs have reached the final stage of Nokia’s nationwide In Hindsight competition, which will see one aspiring entrepreneur launch their business idea.
After presenting a unique idea and pitch, the top five were selected from a shortlist of 100 entries, putting them in the running to win $10 000, a Nokia smartphone and coaching from CEO of SKINS sportswear, Jaimie Fuller.
The public will now vote via Nokia’s Facebook page to decide the competition winner, along with an expert judging panel.
Nokia Australia’s Managing Director, Chris Carr says: “After meeting the finalists and hearing their pitches, there’s no question that they’re all worthy ideas and deserve to be in the top five. It will be interesting to see how the public votes.”
The pitches include the FindMeQuick™ radio frequency identification technology solution by Nimrod Klayman which helps track lost property at school as well as the My Genius Tutor online platform by Adam Jacobs, allowing students to connect with tutors in real time.
“The standard of entries was incredibly high and it took longer than anticipated to select our top 100 and from here, our final five.”
The remaining three pitches consist of a peer-to-peer rental website, a self-named fashion label and an online store for females looking for larger size but fashionable shoes.
Nokia launched the competition alongside its online book In Hindsight, which looks at the accomplishments of seven Australian entrepreneurs.
A 30/70 weighting of the public Facebook vote and the decisions of the judging panel will determine the winner, to be announced shortly after voting closes on November 17.
“Starting a business is never easy, but the prize up for grabs means whoever wins the competition will get a great head-start,” Carr added.