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Virtually Pitch Inventions To These Shark Tanks

Scientists and innovators with great ideas and solutions can pitch them online to industries and earn money to execute or grow them!

By James KarugaPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
Virtually Pitch Inventions To These Shark Tanks
Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

Shark Tank on ABC is today the choice TV show for inventors and budding businesses seeking investment to boost their growth. Due to its success it has spawned copycat shows around the world that follow its model.

Entrepreneurs and inventors show up before a panel of “menacing” sharks, to pitch business ideas, and the successful ones give up a percentage of their venture in return for the investment money they were looking for.

But to be honest not everyone is made for TV fame. It can be a daunting prospect, and due to jitters one can fumble before the sharks especially if public speaking is not your forte.

For the introverted ideators and creators who love creating and growing in anonymity, there are websites for you to pitch or contribute your ideas from the comfort of your home. I have profiled a few below.

Ideaconnection.com

By Elevate on Unsplash

Ideaconnection is a crowdsourcing website where conglomerates like Kraft Foods, Bayer, Nike, PepsiCo, Syngenta, Johnson and Johnson, Aveleda, Covanta Energy, Wrigley and others post their challenges and over 20,000 skilled scientists or inventors provide solutions to them. All you need to do is register a free profile to become a solver to get started.

According to the website problem solvers earn an average of $5000 for every solution but I’ve seen one Artificial Intelligence (AI) challenge worth $5000,000. Also if you got an invention you can post it there and crowdsell it. If you are not an inventor but a marketer you can earn a cool $500 after referring a solver who eventually wins a challenge they enter.

There are other opportunities open for challenge team facilitators and technology scouts to take advantage of.

MindSumo.com

By ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

MindSumo is another crowdsourcing website for inventors or scientists. They post challenges from conglomerates and invite problem solvers who have registered a profile to provide solutions. Dell, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Shell, Delta, IBM, Citigroup, BFGoodrich, Unilever, Nestle and others have used MindSumo to find solutions for challenges.

Over 200,000 ideas have been solved on this crowdsourcing platform that also encourages college students to participate. Solvers can collaborate on the challenges and those that win share the prize loot.

The money paid for challenges varies but is mostly not astronomical. I have seen challenges worth $350, $400, $800, $1600, $2600, and $10,000. Inventors or scientists with a creative mind can register their profile here to get started.

OpenIDEO.com

By OCG Saving The Ocean on Unsplash

OpenIDEO is targeted at innovators passionate about creating solutions for today’s major global challenges. The solutions address problems in health, food, water education, environment and other critical sectors.

Most solutions created by innovators and scientists registered on the platform seek to improve the lives of those living in poverty around the world. Innovators and scientists registered on the platform from around the world collaborate to create solutions to the challenges and the organizations running the challenges select the best ideas and reward them with funding.

The funding helps them to develop the ideas in phases as fully fledged solutions. Funding here is not limited but I have seen challenges worth $1000, $5000, $55,000, $100,000 and $1 million.

WazokuCrowd.com

By Abhyuday Majhi on Unsplash

Wazoku Crowd is a crowdsourcing platform for problem solvers that can create solutions to address prevailing global challenges or improve current technologies. Challenges posted address issues like soil health, sanitation, safety systems, motoring, pollution, green energy, recycling, health and digital technology.

To be a problem solver you register a profile and submit your proposed solutions. Humanitarian organizations like World Vision, Habitat for Humanity, International Rescue Committee post these challenges calling for problem solvers to develop solutions.

Aramco Oil, AstraZeneca, Enel Energy, Novartis, NASA, the US Air force and others seek innovators for their challenges. Funding varies but I have seen challenges worth $7,500, $25,000 and $30,000.

Jovoto.com

By Studio Republic on Unsplash

Jovoto is a German crowdsourcing platform that is open to writers, innovators, branding strategists, product designers, graphic designers, or any creative mind. The platform posts various challenges that can be accessed by first registering a profile.

After registering a profile one uploads portfolio samples of their niche skills to showcase their skills. There are open challenges, but others are locked and are by invitation only. I believe the invitations depend on your portfolio’s strength.

The challenges pay depending on the level of expertise needed. I have seen challenges pay €150, €14,300 and even €37,500.

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About the Creator

James Karuga

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