Dan Frederiksen says: while my idea can save the planet in the long term, yours can save a lot of lives in the short term and it's hard to say no to that. but is it really an entrepreneurial idea in the spirit of the competition? if you win it'll be a donation to a charity, a drop in the bucket that has a very real risk of never being satisfied. as opposed to starting something that will gain a life of its own for decades or centuries.
is that a fair point?

Eleni Pallas says: Mikkel,

Congratulations for this idea and for having tested it with successful results.

I wonder if you can answer the following:

1) If I understood correctly, you will sell this solution to governments, NGOs and the like, is that right? Why do you think efforts to do the same thing have failed in the past? What is different about your idea?

2) I've worked with the World Bank and through them, also NGOs and although I was focusing on other topics, I watched how other projects dealing with the same issues that concern you were rolled out and was amazed at how many ideas the staff had to sift through to choose one they'd roll out. I wonder if you realize how political this process is and that can create protracted delays that could frustrate anyone. How would you deal with the possible delays and the frustration? Do you have contacts in your potential customer organizations? What about this project touches you deep inside and how would that motivate you to push through the complexities of this endeavor?

3) Have you thought of adding a prevention aspect to this solution, by training people while they're there getting tested? I agree that it's important to test people, but what is sustainable about the solution? How will you extend the benefit of testing these people into the future?

4) How will you measure your company's success? The number of people tested? The number of governments who offer this program? The health of a particular village/town/city?

5) Would you consider partnering with other companies who already distribute mosquito nets, condoms, and larger-scale clean-water solutions?

6) Can you distribute the care pack without a environment-friendly packaging or is that already the case?

7) What is the difference between the cost and distribution approach you suggest with those that have been attempted in the past? In what way is this compelling to your customers?

Good luck to you!

Eleni.