No more running out of phone power – Caribbean and African entrepreneur through to semi-final to pitch to Richard Branson.
Hottest new gadget for this Summer entrepreneurs need your support to reach final of search for Britain’s best start-up Entrepreneurs, Dowa Ojarikre and Nathaniel Peat, founders of Gennex Ltd have been selected as a semi-finalist in Virgin Media Pioneers Pitch to Rich competition – a nationwide search to find the UK’s best start ups.
Nathaniel Peat, multi award winning serial entrepreneur,
The finalists will receive the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pitch their business to Richard Branson and be in with the chance of winning a prize package.
The duo are one of just eight young entrepreneurs shortlisted from hundreds of entries from across the UK.
Nathaniel and Dowa who currently run Gennex Ltd a company that provides solar solutions at an affordable cost, such as portable mobile phone chargers which can charge using artificial light and solar lighting for rural communities in the developing world will now face a public online vote to determine whether they will be one of the four finalists to pitch to Richard Branson.
Gennex
The two, who heavily use phones on the underground realised that there could be another use for the bright lights on the tube.
Nathaniel Peat an Engineer and Chairman of Jamaicans Inspired UK stated “We are thrilled to be selected as semi-finalist for this competition, while traveling around Africa and parts of the Caribbean phone power has always been a problem with not much points of electricity to plug into while in the country and rural areas. Having portable power is both a need and a want for many people.”
The duo and their team have already begun plans on a new affordable home lighting system that is independent of the grid and will use mobile credit to power the home lightening system.
Gennex
The pair have already engaged major telecom firms Airtel, Vodacom and MTN in Africa, proposals for another product is currently with Digicel they hope to bring this to the Caribbean before the summer.
Voting is now open and will close on 23rd April. To vote for Nathaniel and Dowa and help them get through to the next stage of the competition click here and click the link “Fill in Form” and select Dowa Ojarikre and Nathaniel Peat, Gennex.
You can also vote by watching and “like” the following video using a valid email address.
Sherone Simpson Jamaican 4 x 100m runner says: “Those things will sell like hot cakes.”
Sir Richard Branson, Pioneer-At-Large of Virgin Media Pioneers and founder of the Virgin Group, said: “Starting a business from very little capital is something I can relate to, but with a little backing early on and the right idea, anything is possible.
Gennex
I’m looking forward to meeting some of Britain’s best young entrepreneurs to hear their ideas and help make some of them a reality.”
After voting has closed the final four will be invited to pitch to a panel of judges including Sir Richard Branson plus chief executives, managing directors and the media.
The finalists will have the opportunity to win a prize package worth £5,000, including cash investment and receiving expert legal, branding and marketing advice as well as mentoring for their business.
The runners up will also receive £1,000 worth of investment, as well as an opportunity to build their network and raise their profile to further their business prospects.
2012 winner Dan Watson with Sir Richard Branson. Photo courtesy ide.rca.ac.uk
Last year’s winner was Dan Watson from London, who designed SafetyNet, a sustainable fishing system designed to help juvenile fish escape during the trawling process.
Virgin Media Pioneers was founded by Virgin Media in 2010. Today, the free peer-to-peer network supports 5,000 young entrepreneurs, providing mentoring, advice and unique business opportunities.
To find out more about the Virgin Media Pioneers or to enter, visit: www.virginmediapioneers.com or @VMPioneers #VMPitch2Rich
For further information please contact Liz Griffiths on 0117 933 9464 / [email protected]
About Virgin Media Pioneers
Virgin Media Pioneers was formed by Virgin Media in 2010 as an online community for young entrepreneurs. Over 5,000 members now interact, using videos and blogging to create a peer-to-peer support and mentoring service.
Virgin Media Pioneers also offers original content including the Pioneers TV series targeted at early-stage entrepreneurs as well as connecting people from all walks of life who are passionate about business across a range of industries – from fashion to digital to catering.
Regular free events and unique opportunities are also held, such as the Spark Your Ideas event series, which during 2011 saw Pioneers at six locations across the UK meet for networking, expert training and inspiration from leading business speakers and successful entrepreneurs. www.virginmediapioneers.com.
About Virgin Media
Virgin Media is the first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK. The company’s cable network – the result of a multi-billion pound private investment – delivers ultrafast broadband connections to over half of all UK homes, with speeds of up to 120Mb, and is being expanded to reach thousands more people across the country.
Virgin Media has developed the most advanced interactive television service, bringing together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box powered by TiVo.
The company was the first to offer HD TV and 3D on demand to millions of UK households.
