Why are we doing this?
There’s plenty of bad news about. But we’re not paying attention. We believe that Ireland is brimful of talent, potential, and smart people with great ideas.
iQ Content started in the last great tech recession of 2000, so we understand how difficult things can be. We got lots of help when we started. Now we want to give something back.
The iQ Prize is our small contribution to creating a better Ireland: a catalyst to tap into Ireland’s talent, to spark innovation, and to help create the great businesses of the future.
Bridging the gap: from idea to execution
Good ideas are two a penny. The real challenge is translating that idea into a profitable reality. We want to help bridge that gap. So our challenge asks people to focus on the business application of their idea, by creating a 5-page business plan for a sustainable, internet-based business.
Everyone’s a winner
For the winner, the prize: €10k, with no strings attached. For everyone who enters, it’s a chance to tease out ideas that have long been a-bubbling, to give them clarity and focus, to give it a lash.
What will we get out of it?
We’re not investors. We’re not venture capitalists. We’re not looking for equity and we don’t want your intellectual property. There’s no catch. There are no strings. Seriously.
What we’ll get is goodwill, hopefully. But ultimately, we’re doing this because we can. And because we think it’s worthwhile.
Background
The idea was conceived by Morgan McKeagney, Managing Director of iQ Content and presented at the Future of Web Apps (FOWA) Dublin on March 6th.
Morgan likened the Dublin of the day with the Dublin of the late seventies. Then, as now, we were “dans la merde”, in economic terms.
But what came out of that era was an amazingly creative music scene. The Blades, The Virgin Prunes and U2. Lots of energy, excitement, creativity, bad haircuts. But some stars lasted longer than others. U2 made it spectacularly, for example, the Blades didn’t.
The internet scene in Ireland today is very similar to the music scene of the late seventies. We have all the talent we need to create global tech superstars. Now we need to channel that talent, and help people make the leap: from local heroes, to international superstars.
