Is Your Idea The Next Big Thing?

Human beings have been coming up with ideas for millennia. Idea generation and implementation has been the backbone of humanity’s progress. Ideas such as cooking food over a fire, using electricity to light up homes or even air travel have inspired countless innovations. The last decade has been a good one as far as inventions go. It’s unbelievable to think that it’s only in 2003 that camera phones were invented or that YouTube was began in 2005 or that even the first Android phone came out in 2008. All of them are now a staple of our lives and it’s easy to forget that their relatively new inventions.

The best ideas should solve a problem or have an impact. One of the innovations that are synonymous with Kenya is MPesa. Mobile money transfer is now so commonplace; it’s difficult to believe that it didn’t exist a decade ago. Kenyans are an entrepreneurial people. We are good at spotting the next money making venture and taking our chances with it. Even better, are the Kenyans that are thinking up ideas that are solving problems. A great example is the young boy that came up with the invention dubbed ‘lion lights’ that consists of a series of flashing lights that keep lions away from his family’s homestead. With an economy that is steadily growing, there are opportunities available to solve problems and create jobs.

One of those opportunities has arrived in the form of The Next Big Thing, a competition organized by the Nation Media Group through The Business Daily that will see participants pitch their ideas to potential investors. This is the 4^th edition of the competition where the 10 best ideas will be picked and receive mentorship and sponsorship. The categories are: Agribusiness and Agriprocessing, Business and Professional Service, ICT, Manufacturing and Construction, Transport and Logistics, Tourism and Eco tourism, Sports, Leisure and Entertainment, Health and Nutrition, Renewable Energy, Media, Water and Sanitation and Environment.

The prizes include: USD 3,000 to the best idea in the Media category from The Business Daily; USD 90,000 to the best ideas under Agribusiness and Agriprocessing, Renewable Energy and Water and Sanitation from The Kenya Climate Innovation Center (CIC); incubation from Nailab for the to two finalists in the ICT category; incubation at the Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Center to the top three ideas of their choosing from Kenyatta University.

The opportunity is an amazing one, especially because it comes not only with cash prizes, but also mentoring, legal advice and incubation. These are opportunities that a lot of entrepreneurs don’t get access to. If you think your idea is the next big thing, go The Next Big Thing website and register by creating a profile. Be sure to check out the criteria first to ensure you qualify. The competition runs until 5^th February 2015, so hurry up! If you have further questions, check out their helpful FAQs page or call their hotline +254 20 328 8019 / 8074.