NBR Online Audacious winners announced

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NBR Online Audacious winners announced

Thursday 16th September

Louise Corcoran has a very audacious goal. To build New Zealand’s first Southern Hemisphere bobsled track. Corcoran won the NBR Online Audacious Challenge on Wednesday night for her idea and will use her winnings to start developing the track.

Corcoran’s company Alpine Parks New Zealand Ltd aims to commercialise the high speed thrills and spills of Olympic bobsled, skeleton and luge and is aimed at thrill seekers, keen athletes and adventure travelers. Her idea has already gathered significant interest from overseas investors and Corcoran believes that if she gets the right investors and board of directors that the track would be complete before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

“It’s a bit like Formula One on ice and I think the prospect of people being able to watch the world’s elite Olympic athletes as they compete and train is a huge opportunity for the region”, says Corcoran.

An Olympic skeleton racer herself Corcoran competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics but was unable to attend this year due to a lack of funding. She spends five months every year competing on the FIBT World Skeleton Tour overseas as well as studying towards a Master of Entrepreneurship at the University of Otago.

Other winners include:

·         Anderson Lloyd Lawyers and WHK Runner up Quinn Lucas for Fitnessbuzz

·         University of Otago School of Business Entrepreneurship Prize : Uncle Biz - Campbell Pritchard

Otago Financial Management Small Business Plan Prize: Gluten Free Pastry Shells - Tim Fraser
Enabling Technology Prize: Fitnessbuzz - Quinn Lucas
James and Wells Innovation Prize: Seabird Mitigation Device - Josh Tabak
Otago Polytechnic Design Prize: Mobetio International Ltd - Shelley Wrigley
Dunedin Print Social Responsibility Prize: Seabird Mitigation Device - Josh Tabak

The challenge is judged by a panel of business experts who commented that this year’s entrants were particularly strong on their verbal presentations and that their passion and commitment was inspiring.

The challenge is now in its fifth year and growing steadily. Past winners are well established in business with Dr Kim Chilman Blair’s company Medikidz achieving sales of over half a million books around the globe.

The NBR Online Audacious Challenge is supported by the National Business Review, Dunedin City Council, the University of Otago School of Business, Otago Polytechnic, Anderson Lloyd Lawyers and WHK.

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