WATCH: Community ideas awarded £23.5k in Dragons' Den

Thursday 07 May 2020

A local app aimed at reducing loneliness and celebrating acts of kindness is among the initiatives to have received a share of £23,500 in grants awarded as part of a covid-19 'Dragons' Den' contest.

Held last week, Digital Jersey's Covid-19 Community Challenge saw the Uniti app receive £8,000.

Fetch, an online trading platform, received £10,500, while the Care Academy, which offers accredited training for care workers, was awarded £5,000.

Individuals and groups were invited to pitch for a portion of up to £30,000 to fund technological solutions that will be of benefit to Jersey, while it manages the impact of the health crisis.

27 submissions were received and six were picked for their pitch to be presented to judges in a 'Dragons’ Den'-style event broadcast on YouTube.

Video: The pitching competition was broadcast on YouTube.

“All six submissions were shining examples of the entrepreneurial spirit and ingenuity that thrives in Jersey," Dr. Glenda Rivoallan, founder and CEO of Soulgenic and one of the judges, said.

"My fellow judges and I believe they all have merit, but that three stood out and deserved funding to support the fast-track progression of their ideas.”

 The Digital Jersey team will be working alongside each of the beneficiaries to track their progress and offer support and expertise. 

CEO Tony Moretta said the challenge was all about "firing up our brilliant tech community to submit their solutions in a fast-paced and quick-turnaround process".

“To get from launch to funding in four weeks is a testament to all who took part," he added.

"I’d like to thank all those who made submissions, and our esteemed panel of judges who had the unenviable task of deciding who should be awarded what. This is the first time we’ve put up money in this way, but I suspect it won’t be the last.”