First Call Startup Roadshow Winner proves less is more
After long hours of workshops, advising and attending presentations, all the built up tension has come down to an end. The jury finally announced the prizewinning project of the 1st Startup Roadshow Edition, which was…a tricycle! The Startup Roadshow, a project organized by Black Pearls Capital Fund(Gdańsk) and partners was created with the aim of bringing the startup buzz to smaller cities, giving this way the opportunity for innovators to spark, as well as to attract investors. Participants came from cities like Elbląg, Słupsk, Trójmiasto and for our surprise even people from Poznań and Warsaw came along. The main prize was a sum of money intended to kickstart and get them up and running with their projects.
The winner…
Mariola Gowkielewicz, who went home with the 1 00 000 zł prize, is young lady from Elbląg that get’s her inspiration from day to day problems to generate ideas. She observed that something as easy and pleasuring as riding a bicycle is unfortunately not possible for everyone to do. With that, came the idea for her project, and the rest is history. She created a stylish three-wheeled bike with a refined balance-enhancing amortisation system. Soon after the culmination of the Startup Roadshow Finals at the Słupski Incubator Przedsiebiorczości, we contacted her and were delighted to know she was prone to make a short interview with us. Here’s what she said:
Who are you?
My name’s Mariola Gowkielewicz, with my team I built a three-wheeled bike.
-Why a trycicle? Is it your passion?
Indeed passion. Although many people want to ride, not everyone of them can. And this is where we come in.
-Who are your team members?
It’s a family business. Apart from me there’s a technician with 30 years of experience in the cycling industry and two young passionate workers. We complement each other and use this to thrive.
-What inspires you?
I get inspiration from everyday life. I’m an observer, always searching for solutions.
-Who should use you tricycle?
It was built for a vast audience. It’s stable, safe and ideal for mothers riding with their child, for elders, people having problems with maintaining their balance in conventional bicycles.You can even customize it by adding extra baskets when going to a picknick or when shopping.
-Why did you sign up for the competition?
It was a great opportunity for my team to get financed and aquire knowledge from business experts.
-Did you know you’ll win?
I had faith, but was uncertain. Especially during the finals. Anyone could win.
-How did your relatives react after you won?
We had the support of friends and family since the begining. They shared their happiness with us and believed we’ll succeed.
-Which one of the competitors had the most interesting project?
All of them were good and had a good chance of winning. The judges really had a hard time while choosing the “One” project.
-Did you become friends with you competitors?
The environment was really pleasant at the workshops and at the Final Gala. However the event past so fast that i never got to build deeper relations with them. I hope we’ll meet in the near future and I wish them all the best.
-How do you deal with difficult times. Did you have those during the Startup Roadshow?
Sure we had difficulties along the way mainly because of lack of time. Winning the contest feels really rewarding.
-So what now? Plans for the future ?
We plan to produce the actual and design new models, build a whole family of them. We will have available many sizes, variety of drive sistems including electrical.
-Where can we find more about you, your projects?
I’ll soon have a website, where you can find more about the presented model and also future versions. As I said earlier it will be a big family of tricycles.
-Any advice to young startups?
If you have innovative ideas make sure you sign up for the next edition of the Startup Roadshow. It’s your chance to realize them.
The 1st Edition of the Startup Roadshow was a successfull project. We are looking forward to give continuity to projects such as this in the future and bring more innovation into polish communities. We wish to all participants success in the realization of their projects, and especially to our winner. You’re under our radar! Find out more about the next Starup Roadshow:
