Accelerating ideas for a better New Zealand

Live the Dream launches to accelerate ideas for a better New Zealand

Inspiring Stories Trust has announced the launch of Live the Dream - a flagship ideas challenge and accelerator program to support New Zealand’s next generation of social entrepreneurs & enterprise.

Live the Dream aims to reach a demographic that has the greatest opportunity to take a risk. People who have big ideas and potential and are not yet tied down to commitments. The national call for ideas is now open at www.livethedream.org.nz. Submissions close October 20th.

The pilot summer program will be run in Wellington from December to February and pull in support and resources from a broad range of partners including Leadership New Zealand, KEA, Vodafone, Enspiral, Hikurangi Foundation, KPMG, Sustainable Business Council and Massey University.

CEO of inspiring Stories and project instigator Guy Ryan, said that the social enterprise sector is growing internationally and young people are playing a big role. “We want to help amplify that in New Zealand. As a nation we have some great structures set up to support high growth commercial enterprise, but lack support for entrepreneurial initiatives with social and environmental impact. There’s a big opportunity here,” he said.

A shortlist of submitted ideas will be announced on October 28th and these projects will go on to pitch at this year’s Festival for the Future at Te Papa 22-24 November. From the strength of their pitch, winners will be chosen for the program.

Anthony Cabraal, Live The Dream project coordinator, said he had ambitious plans for the projects that will graduate from the program in February 2014. “New networks and skills, great mentors, proof of concept, viable enterprise model, and a clear path for scale. We’ll give the teams whatever we can to help them turn their ideas into action. Anything is possible!”

ENDS

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