Best Student Business Idea

                          
Lilian Maboya                                 Trent Pike                                   Francois Petousis & 
                                                                                                               David Gluckman

BEST STUDENT BUSINESS IDEA

Francois Petousis and David Gluckman: Lumkani

Lumkani has developed an off-the-shelf fire detection device and alert service using radio frequency (RF) transmission technology designed for informal dwellings. The device is an innovative heat detector which measures the rate-of-rise of temperature in the dwelling. In the event of a fire, the device will sound an alarm, giving the family an opportunity to be proactive before the fire is unmanageable. Within 20 seconds the device will transmit a signal, setting off neighbouring dwellings’ heat detectors up to a 60 metre radius, raising the alert of potential danger and creating a community-wide response to the fire. Lumkani is currently rolling out a pilot phase in four low-income communities in different informal settlements where devices will be sold at the retail price of R90. The company is testing a number of strategies in this pilot to unearth meaningful insights that will inform a large-scale local and global roll-out.
Contact details: Tel: 063 109 5401, e-mail: fpetousis@gmail.com

Trent Pike: instaLens

instaLens is a series of optical photographic lenses that attach to the inbuilt camera on any mobile device, such as smartphones, and provide various photographic effects to the camera function. They work by attaching magnetically to a metal sticker that adheres to the camera lens on a device, and are therefore able to be used on almost any cellphone/smartphone that is currently on the market, as well as tablets, iPads and webcams. The product is based on the premise that people no longer need, or want, to carry around expensive, sizeable, technically complex and laborious SLR cameras to take pictures and capture memories. Phoneography is the fastest growing photography industry in the world: the instaLens collection has a broad appeal, acting as an amalgam of digital and optical photography by enabling optical photographic functions on a digital device.
Contact details: Tel: 021 532 3462, e-mail: team@instalens.co.za

Lillian Maboya: Grow Up

“Grow Up” is a simple, easy-to-use, assemble-at-home vertical garden that has a cover for the front and thus provides insulation both from the wind as well as a greenhouse effect that encourages seasonal plants to grow all year round. It also comes with a special effective fertilizer that retains water and is sterile, thus preventing the growth of weeds. This garden can stand on its own, thus potentially providing support for fragile walls or housing, and has an effective irrigation system that evenly distributes water whilst also reducing the time required for this task. The garden system is stackable vertically and horizontally, thus allowing individuals or businesses to maximize their available space. It is low cost (due to its scale and simplicity) and made out of "green" material (reused or recycled) and is also aesthetically pleasing. The “Grow Up” will also come with the option of buying seeds and an instruction manual on how to assemble it, tips on how to use it and garden effectively. The idea is in the prototype planning stage to refine the design and prepare for launch.
Contact details: Tel: 076 252 7652, e-mail: lilianmaboya@gmail.com