Wellington
Right, something you can get your teeth into...literally –
So, instead of a 12 week accelerator to figure out how to take a digital idea out to the world,the same sort of programme but aimed at a physical product.
Great.
As I've commented before, we risk missing out on, and leveraging off thebiological resource and manufacturing ideas that we (well hopefully) have abounding in our country.Heck, it could even be making and doing something better with the proverbial Number 8 wire!Obviously we need to move beyond commodities (as Fonterra's milk powder based payout implodes), andthese sort of events will encourage just that.
Like the digitally-oriented LLs, there will be intensive mentoring, networking and businessupskilling – but this time for hardware rather than software.
Applications are due on June 26, though as an introductory evening at Wellington's Creative HQindicated on Tuesday 9 June, there could be a wee bit of flexibility around that deadline. This isespecially so given that another non-digital initiative,
Of interesting note for LL/M is the move to Wellington by Austin, Texas-based Shawn O'Keefe. He'sbeen the producer of SXSW Interactive for 14 years, and takes on the Programme Director role.O'Keefe's bringing his young family over as well – which is obviously not something you do on awhim.
And, as O'Keefe said in introducing himself to us on Tuesday, “let's make – we have noexcuses anymore.” He's particularly referring to 3D printing, hardware hacking, biometric sensorsand the internet of things – among many things.
One point he made is that applicants don't necessarily have to have a team around them (yet), nora prototype.
An idea from a individual can then have those elements built around them.
There's only going to be eight startups selected, from anywhere around the country.
If you get in, in return for 6% equity, teams receive $15,000 in startup financing, and $5,000research funding from Callaghan Innovation...plus the pitch to investors in November.
Hopefully LL/M is swamped with applications. The organisers are agnostic about where in NewZealand these are from – the only priviso being that teams are prepared to work out of a (probablyHigh Street) lab in Lower Hutt.
I'll be interested to see how it pans out from a who can actually afford to be there point ofview. The digital LL is mostly made up of young, single people – who have much more ability tolive off the smell of an oily rag.
I'm guessing here, but suspect that physical product ideas are more likely to be from more maturepeople, often with families. Taking 12 weeks out of your life on minimal pay may simply be beyonddo-able for many of these potential applicants.
Let's hope I'm wrong on that.
Application forms, which can be filled out in draft form, then returned to for updating andsubmitting, are at: lightninglab.co.nz/manufacturing
Go on, take a bite out of it.