Last week, after sifting through scores of brilliant proposals, ShortList and Wayra finally selected three winning start-ups for our Digital Entrepreneurs contest. Each one will receive a £40k development deal with Wayra Academy, so we asked the teams to talk us through their businesses and plans for digital world domination. Watch your back, Zuckerberg…
Ed Dowding, Sustaination
“Sustaination is basically LinkedIn for the food system – Facebook for farmers. We want to help businesses rewire the food network and create more sustainable, higher-quality connections. If you’re a pub looking for local food, it’s very difficult to find out who’s growing what in your vicinity – we help connect you to nearby farmers who are selling fresh, quality produce with an aim not only to stimulate local economies but also provide healthier food.”
Will Hodson, Platter
“Platter is a platform for home-cooked food photos. It lets cooks around the world spread their ideas and give celebrity chefs a run for their money. People post a lot of food pictures on Instagram, but the difference with Platter is that we also add ingredient tags and influences. So, if you like the look of a dish, you can make it yourself. No one’s got time to write, or read, a 2,000-word food blog, so we’re taking the essence – a nice photo, a title and the ingredients – and shrinking it down. The Wayra validation is brilliant – it puts us in the Premier League of start-ups.”
Giulia Piu and Emma Obanye, BuddyBounce
“BuddyBounce is a platform that rewards fans for their passion and support by allowing them to meet their idols. So, if you’re promoting, say, your favourite band on Twitter and Facebook, it earns you points which could lead to a one-to-one video chat with them. It also allows you to meet and connect with similar people. It’s been coined as a ‘frequent flyer’ programme for fans. Winning this means we can meet like-minded people and not only benefit from the brilliant commercial opportunities but also get access to useful advice and great mentors.”
