Smart Toilet Company were the winners in the 2016 Global Business Challenge.
The Smart Toilet provided continual monitoring of patient well-being via urine analysis which is recorded using smart apps and is analysed by clinicians remotely. The test results are compared against an aggregate set of patient data to give greater insight into patients’ health.
The GBC team recently caught up with team member Chris Veraa and asked, “Where are you now?”
- Describe your participation in the 2014 Global Business Challenge. What was the experience like for you and your team members?
It was an amazing experience! Being in a “pressure cooker” environment and having to come up with a business strategy in such a condensed time-frame really pushed us to our limits and showed us just what we were capable of. The feedback from the judges was also fantastic, given their collective level of experience and wisdom. However, the highlight was meeting all of the fabulous teams from across the world. Something very special happens when different cultures come together to formulate ideas that can change the world. - What is the name of your company? How did the Global Business Challenge help you to build upon it?
We competed a The Smart Toilet Company, but we decided against having the word ‘Toilet’ on our business cards, so we shortened it to Smart TC. The ‘T’ also stands for technology! The Global Business Challenge gave us the validation we needed to pursue our concept and take meaningful steps towards putting it into action, as well as the funding to kick-start our vision. - How have your progressed since the GBC? Have you raised any capital, started selling?
Participating in the GBC led to some amazing opportunities to compete in other business competitions in Thailand and the USA, which was a gruelling but extremely enjoyable experience. The GBC definitely gave us a taste of what to expect in these international comps. While our original concept has been sidelined for now, participating in the GBC has given our team the confidence and connections to pursue other entrepreneurial endeavours, which some of us are doing as we speak! - What are your plans for the future?
Our team members are pursuing quite divergent paths in higher education, finance and healthcare, but all of us have been empowered by the GBC experience to carve out great careers and businesses in our chosen fields.
2016 Global Business Challenge Awards Winners, The Smart Toilet Company. - Are there any tips that you would like to give future contestants?
Use your time wisely. Get the right amount of sleep for your brain to function, but make the most of every waking minute. Identify the strengths of each team member and play to these strengths, both in your preparation and your execution. Make sure you have the contact details of your advisors and subject matter experts at your fingertips. Know your product and your market inside and out, and be prepared to answer any question that the judging panel may ask you. Have a bold vision and speak with confidence. Most of all, have fun.
About the Global Business Challenge.
Now in it’s sixth year, the Global Business Challenge (GBC) is the first global graduate business case competition aimed at developing solutions to global problems and is conducted as a partnership between QUT, The University of Queensland (UQ) and Griffith University and with the support of government and industry.
For details about this years competition, go to http://globalbusinesschallenge.org/the-2019-challenge/
