Developing & sharing stories of meaningful innovation
Through TransMediaVision (TMV), I developed 'Invent Africa', a resource to support innovation and entrepreneurship in Southern Africa. This took numerous forms, including the sponsoring of media events in support of government and private initiatives, and the development of supporting media content.
Sharing your idea (workshop)
The key to a successful pitch is all in the preparation and creating the understanding around the value of effective communication.
To leverage the content into an ongoing asset that would work for the innovators, the sponsors and TMV I took the following 3-stage approach.
Stage 1:
Telling the story
I've worked with many start-up companies involved in pitches and competitions. As a producer, I need to cover the story in a few minutes in a way that is clear, insightful, and compelling. Well, that's where the fun starts…
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I would say 80% of my time per project is spent work-shopping with entrepreneurs, helping to focus the story and the way in which it's presented…
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Who are you and why should I care? (insert passion!)
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What need are you addressing?
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A brief description of the innovation / solution
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What are the (tangible) outcomes?
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Share your understanding of the market
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How do you make your product / service sustainable?
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What's needed to take this to the next level?
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What is your long term vision?
Aaron Marshall / Over
Kit Vaughn / Cape Ray
Neil du Preez / Mellow Cabs
Maryna Lehmann / Acydosilyser
Johan Loots / Paddleyak
Bryan Anderson / Delta Steam Systems
Here's one of the great sustainable answers to traffic congestion and carbon emissions…
Stage 2:
The asset
Having created a series of short insights for companies or individuals, it seemed natural to take the content and build it into a permanent (but ever-changing) resource that would offer ongoing benefits that included being a strategic tool for marketing and business development.
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So all that was required was a basic wrapper and a social media app to connect the creators with the opportunities.
Current status
Next steps
Contact Mellow Cabs
Stage 3:
The community
Weekly aggregated content
The next progression was the creation of an online channel that would become a weekly fresh source of useful information. The content would include the personal and company profiles (as seen above) and a range of informative related subjects. These would include successful guest interviewees, venture capitalists and new entrepreneurs.