Could you communicate your most profound idea in one minute?
If you had only one minute to communicate your most profound idea, what would you say?
Queen City Forward’s ImpactU program prepares c0llege students and recent graduates for just that.
The nine entrepreneurs from that 10-week program had one minute to pitch an innovative idea in front of a crowd at Packard Place on Thursday.
The students, who come from around the nation and represent seven startups, applied to the program to grow their existing business concepts with access to mentorship, speakers and support resources.
Their entrepreneurial journey in Charlotte started June 1 with QC Forward executive director Charles Thomas, whose goal is to prepare them and their socially conscious concepts for the ImpactU Demo Day on August 5.
That day, they’ll have five minutes to pitch their ideas to a community that will hopefully step forward with support or sponsorship.
Meet a sampling of the innovators.
The entrepreneur:
Megan McLean, 21, is the executive director of The Learning Tree.
The tutorial and enrichment program she created provides low-income families with access to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) tutorial services. The program serves the Flushing community in Queens, N.Y.C., and seeks placement in Charlotte.
The ask:
“We’re still looking into finding out more information about educational conferences and events dealing with students (and) educational leaders in Charlotte,” McLean said.
She wants to find out what is needed for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students who are falling behind to get them back on track.
The challenge:
“I have something to prove,” McLean said. “There are so many after-school programs.”
The entrepreneur:
Brooke Brazer, 21, introduced her concept, Pantrea, a meal and recipe service customized to meet individuals’ dietary needs. The service features meal plans, recipes, grocery lists and other materials.
The ask:
“If anyone has any information on dietitians or coaching or general advice,” she said, “I’d really appreciate that.”
No hesitation:
“I love talking to people and connecting,” she said. “I appreciate all the talent and expertise this community offers.”
The entrepreneurs:
Godwin Attigah, 21, partnered with Max Chinnah, 22, to create Terraoak. They hope to launch a product this fall.
“Out of one billion firewood-users in the world today,” Chinnah said, “each year 4.3 million of them die from in-house pollution generated from the use of firewood and charcoal.”
The two entrepreneurs presented the concept of the Genesis Cooker, which is powered by renewable energy from the sun.
The ask:
Chinnah said, “We need access to lab space … connections to manufacturers … energy experts and electricians.”
The hope:
“We hope to save lives,” Chinnah said.
This story was originally published June 18, 2015 at 10:00 PM.