Students produce brave ideas
Health-supplement-boosting toothpaste and using 3D printing for housing materials were just two ambitious ideas proposed at a youth business development programme in Palmerston North.
Sixty year 12 and 13 students gathered from throughout New Zealand for a week at Palmerston North Boys’ High School for the Brave Thinkers programme recently.
They were split into 10 teams and challenged to come up with a viable business plan to deal with a topical problem, such as healthcare or the housing crisis.
Two Manawatu¯ students were so inspired by workshops and business mentoring, they have continued working with their teams to build their plans into real businesses.
Feilding High School student Abby Mckee, 18, was part of the team that won the award for best concept – a health supplement-infused toothpaste.
The team named themselves BIO-MEE after microbiomes – collections of microorganisms that help with bodily functions, such as fighting off infection or digesting food.
Mckee said health supplement pills designed to boost microbiome were very popular.
BIO-MEE decided adding compounds to toothpaste would make them quicker and easier to take.
Chris Torr, owner of the Health For Life retail chain and one of the team’s assigned mentors, was so impressed that he offered to help the youngsters make and sell their toothpaste, Mckee said.
Hato Pa¯ ora College student Neihana Hania, 16, was part of the second-placed team, who came up with a plan for 3D-printed flat-pack homes as a solution to the housing shortage and soaring home prices.
‘‘We worked it all out and it came to over $14 million of revenue in the [business’s] first year. We thought we’d made a mistake somewhere.’’
But they couldn’t find one. So the team revised all the attempts at realistic cost estimates they made and cranked them up. They maxed out staffing, transport and overhead costs, and slashed estimated sales.
‘‘We wanted to whittle it down, to make it more believable for the pitch ... it still came out to $3m to $4m for the first year.’’
Neihana’s team members were also still in touch.
‘‘[My team] are all young, very smart people. If we put our heads down, I reckon something can come out of it.’’
Massey University senior lecturer Khalid Arif, an engineer who helps develop 3D printing processes, said it was a feasible idea.
Arif said he consulted with construction industry experts in the past and found current 3D printers could build frames and pre-cast parts for flat-pack housing efficiently.
In fact, the technology was on the verge of taking off in the commercial marketplace in several countries, he said.