The Medici Effect Blog

Today, more than ever, it makes sense to start an enterprise with meaning. One of my favorite start-ups is one that is still young, but growing rapidly--and it was initiated by two women from my home-town of Linköping, Sweden. They had no clue about business--but plenty of heart, soul, motivation, and common sense. They also networked like crazy and understood their product and potential market extremely well.

Pernilla Molander wanted to help her visually impaired son to succeed in high school chemistry. That's the story.

You can read an excellent version of their story on The Medici Effect Blog.

And you can visit the company, BRIGHT of Sweden to learn more about this great company, its first product, and their plans for new products in the future.

Ali G on pitching an idea?

Inspiration comes from many sources. It's not easy to pitch ideas, especially those that are futurist or seemingly absurd. Conservative financiers are certainly going to want to hear a strong argument or "pitch" from anyone who wants to gain support or money to back a new idea. Ali G might have the right idea, but without demonstrating better knowledge and without delivering a few "facts", the idea is simply "not going to fly." Take a look:

Enjoy!

Doing what you know best

Last year, what might be considered an unlikely candiate for Microsoft's best idea of the year in the United States, turned out to be a group called the Mayhem Poets.

Here is the press release from Microsoft's website:

NEW YORK — March 13, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. announced today that the Mayhem Poets, a performance poetry group, is the winner of the Ultimate Challenge contest (http://www.ideawins.com), a nationwide search for the best small-business idea in America.

The group will receive $100,000 in startup capital, a New York storefront rent-free for one year, and a suite of software and services to help get its business running. The Mayhem Poets, from Jersey City, N.J., plan to open a spoken-word performance workshop and café that celebrates multiculturalism through education and workshops for children of all ages. At night, the café will turn into an open-mike space for spoken-word performances.

Source: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/mar07/03-13IdeaWinsWinnerMA.mspx


Watch their 3.5 minute-long idea presentation. It's fun, stimulating, somewhat informative and almost tells you what the idea will become.