Leading from the front: Daniel's Startup Weekend success

We asked Daniel Yeoh, a fourth year Electrical and Computer Engineering student, to share his impressions of the recent Wellington Science and Research Startup Weekend. This is what he had to say...

“The Science and Research Startup Weekend was a New Zealand first, where a bunch of different people competed to create a viable startup business in just one weekend.

It began with everyone who wanted to pitching an idea to the room. Then all the people who didn't pitch an idea chose a team to join. That's how I became a team captain, with other participants choosing to join my team if they liked my idea. I assigned roles to my group. I like leading from the front, so I used individuals' specialisations and backgrounds to allocate the roles.

My original idea was a window-cleaning robot that would scale the outside of a building. We came up with the design on the Friday night, but we discovered that there was a company in America already doing exactly the same thing. I wanted to come up with something completely new.

I decided to pivot towards a robot that, instead of cleaning windows, would climb the inside and outside of the building to scan the structure and create a 3D model. This would allow it to ascertain the structural integrity of the building by measuring, for example, the interior wall densities.

I was inspired by the opportunity to be my own boss. It meant a lot to me that the team was working on my idea. The friendships, connections and resources I gained were invaluable. Now I know that I can approach Wellington companies like Creative HQ and BizDojo to pitch ideas or ask for help from their mentors.

I think our idea was the best; the most profitable, and helpful for the community. We also got a special mention for scientific innovation from Helen Anderson, ex-CEO of BRANZ. It is a product that would help a lot of people, especially in the current New Zealand market with the earthquake strengthening taking place.

I hope to pursue the project at the VicLink Entrepreneurial Bootcamp at the end of the year. If you are a student and plan to attend a future Startup Weekend, I would say make sure to pitch your own idea. It makes the experience more meaningful and you feel like you own a piece of the process.”