Bloodstain Analysis wins Entrepreneur Competition
Bloodstain Analysis wins Entrepreneurship Competition
Bloodstain Analysis is the winner of the 2006 University of Canterbury Entrepreneurial (entré) $40K Challenge.
Sean Holland, Guy Horrocks, and Oliver Robinson, were inspired by an ESR forensic scientist who realised that the techniques currently used to analyse blood and spatter patterns are technologically archaic. Under the guidance of forensic scientists and the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Canterbury, they have developed a product to revolutionise the investigation of bloodstain origin at crime scenes.
The product is an automated forensic data collection tool. It uses digital photography and sophisticated software techniques to allow quick and accurate analysis of blood and other spatter patterns to make forensic investigations of crime scenes more efficient.
Bloodstain Analysis has won $20,000 seed capital and tenure in the Canterbury Innovation Incubator worth $20,000 to turn an idea they think will “cause shockwaves in the forensics community worldwide” into a viable business.
Runner-up was Ocean Logic, a consumer focused website that intends to supply businesses with a niche service that, if proved successful in Christchurch, will be taken nation-wide. Steve Guinness and Ben Jepsen envision the long-term success of this venture to be comparable with Trademe. They have won $10,000 seed capital to kick-off their business.
Peter John, representing the judging panel for the $40K Challenge, said that passion was a big part of the judges’ decision, in addition to business ideas that have clear market potential and provide solutions to everyday problems.
“The judges were impressed by the teams who showed real passion and drive to make their business happen. The winning team solved a genuine problem faced by end-users, and the emphasis of the Bloodstain Analysis on identifying and solving this problem was pleasing.”
The first round of the $40K Challenge attracted over 25 entries. Eight finalists were selected from this pool to go through to the second round of the competition.
Peter John said that the diversity of ideas this year was wide-ranging, and even though the competition is only in its second year it is well established at the university and is now well placed to build on these foundations in coming years .
Background
entré is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canterprise Limited, the entrepreneurial business arm of Canterbury University. A organising committee of 16 students organises, markets and runs entré, with mentoring support from an advisory board.
Andrew Stace, 2006 Chief Executive Officer of entré, says it was great to see such strong growth in entry numbers and involvement in the competition from students across all disciplines this year.
Both the flagship $40K Challenge and the introductory business plan competition, the $10K Challenge, experienced strong interest from students; this interest was translated into good ideas when the time came to submit venture summaries during the year.
“The best ideas were the one’s that tackled real
problems in novel and innovative ways, and looked to create
value for the customer.”
Stace said that the ongoing
support of entré’s sponsors is a fantastic endorsement
for the potential of ideas coming out of universities today.
“It’s great to see businesses of this calibre getting in
behind entré. In addition to financial support, our
sponsors offer the mentors, judges and seminar speakers that
make entré possible”.
Stace said that entré surpassed its sponsorship target this year with support from Platinum Sponsors: national and trans-Tasman law firm Duncan Cotterill; international financial services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers; international professional services company GHD; information technology firm IBM New Zealand Ltd; and the government’s economic development agency New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
“We are trying to inspire university students to really think about where they can create value, where their ideas could lead and to have the confidence to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams” says Andrew Stace.
Six finalists
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
Sean Holland, Guy
Horrocks and Oliver Robinson
Our product is an automated
forensic data collection tool. Using digital photography and
sophisticated software techniques, it allows analysis of
blood and other spatter patterns quickly and accurately thus
enhancing forensic investigations of crime scenes. This
product was inspired by an ESR forensic scientist, who has
realized that the techniques currently used are
technologically archaic. We have been developing a product
to revolutionize the investigation of bloodstain origin at
crime scenes.
Ocean Logic
Steve Guinness and Ben
Jepsen
This is an exciting internet based venture which
focuses on supplying businesses with a niche service. We
intend to launch the website within several months using the
Christchurch region as a test market. If the venture proves
successful within Christchurch, we intend to grow to a
national level followed by a careful diversification
strategy. The venture is also attributed with distinct
international potential through franchising, which only adds
to the already generous revenue model.
Small Computer
Devices
Leo Schuler and Phillip Hof
Engineers and students alike, in the field of engineering, robotics, and mechatronics have the need to interface to the real world. Using electronic signals to connect control systems and sensors, they design software programs to interact with and manipulate the environment. At present, this approach is cumbersome, as it needs specialized and therefore expensive hardware, which requires specialist knowledge to work with.
There is a strong need for a new style of computer, which
fulfils these needs. It should be small, easy to use, with
high availability. Small Computer Devices, a recently
founded venture, is about to develop a mixed signal device,
called "Amica computer". It offers 32-bit embedded
performance, ultra portability, vast extensibility and
extended battery life as well as programming on the go. It
features an interface to communicate to the real world via
analogue and digital signals.
SMS DJ
Robert Turner,
Micheal Lazelle, Jonas Hodel and George Jenkins
Imagine
an event where the audience fully participates in the
entertainment maximising the listener's enjoyment. The SMS
DJ provides a fully integrated service that makes this
vision a reality through a sophisticated and fully supported
software and hardware package. SMS DJ can make a positive
difference to your event. SMS DJ - You Decide.
STIG
Welding
William Hanbury-Webber, Shaun Radley and Ben Fergusson
Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding is a specialised process requiring trained operators and highly specialised equipment. Maintenance of this equipment is paramount to safe and efficient operation, and several methods exist for the sharpening of the welding tip (the most common maintenance issue). The new proposed product will result in faster maintenance of the welding tip, and ensure time and money is saved.
This product has
international applications as TIG welding is a standardised
method the world over, and this maintenance issue affects
all the same. By producing a cheaper solution to this global
problem this product will become standard in many commercial
and training facilities.
4N6 Computer Forensics Steve
Sarjean and Brendon Kelly
The 4N6 venture is the development of a next-generation Computer Forensic Tool, designed for use by law enforcement teams, private companies and home users, to gather evidence of intentional misuse or criminal activities on computer systems.
The tool will be entirely software based, created by two computer science graduates. The software will provide the ability to recover deleted/broken files, create a timeline of events, analyse alternative media, analyse email/web browser history, intelligently identify evidence, and detect the use of counter-forensic tools. The first edition of the tool will be aimed at the home market, specifically parents and caregivers, for identification of misuse of their home computers. Subsequent editions will target government and private institutions, for identification of criminal activities and breaches of company policy.
For contact details visit www.entre.co.nz