Road Safety & Wildlife Protection Innovations
Budget: $10 – $30 USD
In this project, you are provided with R100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Rands
Only) in start-up capital and will develop a business plan for a technical business
idea that you can invest this money into. The business must be grounded in engineering
and involve a technical component. For example, opening a spaza shop is not a technical
business idea. However, developing a mobile application that enables spaza shops to manage
inventory, track sales, and process payments through an integrated point-of-sale (POS)
system is a technical business idea. Do not steal my idea.
You may request additional capital beyond the initial R100,000. However, such requests
need to be justified through your financials, cost breakdowns, and revenue projections.
Requests for excessive funding (e.g. “millions of rands”) without evidence or with poor
justification will be rejected.
Project Rule: Any request for additional capital must be supported by a financial pro-
jection table in the appendices, showing how the capital will be allocated and how it
contributes to the viability of the business. So I’m thinking of doing my project on road safety and wildlife protection by changing the normal “cat eyes” on roads. The idea is to design Wildlife Repelling Reflectors that don’t just guide drivers but also reflect car headlights sideways into the bush at animal eye level to scare animals away from the road. I also want to look at a second version, Smart Cat Eyes, that use small sensors and solar power to give off lights or sounds when cars come closer. The basic version would be cheap and easy to put on many roads, while the smart version could be used in high-risk areas like roads through game reserves. The goal is to help prevent accidents, save animals, and make roads safer.Project Deliverables
1. Elevator Pitch Video
Record a 2-minute video that pitches your business idea as if you are speaking to
potential investors. The video must include your own voice and not an AI voice-over.
Have a look at some shark-tank or dragons den pitches for ideas. The pitch must
explain:
(a) The problem being solved,
(b) The proposed solution,
(c) Why the solution matters,
(d) Who it is for (users vs. paying customers),
(e) Why now,
(f) Your ask.
2. Initial Pitch Deck
Submit a professional pitch deck of up to 10 slides. Slides must be visual, clear, and
not text-heavy. The deck should include:(a) Problem / Frustration
(b) Solution (product/service)
(c) Target Users vs. Paying Customers
(d) Market Opportunity
(e) Competition & Differentiation
(f) Business Model (how money will be made)
(g) Revenue Streams
(h) Marketing Strategy
(i) Technical Feasibility
(j) Risks & Next Steps
Final Business Plan
Submit a business plan (6 pages + up to 4 pages appendices). The plan
contents should include but is not limited to the following:
(a) Executive Summary
(b) Problem and Need
(c) Solution Overview (product/service)
(d) Target Market & Customers
(e) Marketing Strategy
(f) Competitor Analysis & Differentiation
(g) Business Model & Revenue Streams
(h) Financials (income, expenses, forecast, break-even)(i) Technical Feasibility
(j) Risks & Limitations
(k) Conclusion / Path Forward. I am doing this business idea in south Africa so all research should be south African. Project should be south African based.
The thing is though, i would need the elevator pitch video and the initial pitch deck done first, thereafter in a few weeks feedback will be given and the final business plan must be done taking into account the feedback.
Only) in start-up capital and will develop a business plan for a technical business
idea that you can invest this money into. The business must be grounded in engineering
and involve a technical component. For example, opening a spaza shop is not a technical
business idea. However, developing a mobile application that enables spaza shops to manage
inventory, track sales, and process payments through an integrated point-of-sale (POS)
system is a technical business idea. Do not steal my idea.
You may request additional capital beyond the initial R100,000. However, such requests
need to be justified through your financials, cost breakdowns, and revenue projections.
Requests for excessive funding (e.g. “millions of rands”) without evidence or with poor
justification will be rejected.
Project Rule: Any request for additional capital must be supported by a financial pro-
jection table in the appendices, showing how the capital will be allocated and how it
contributes to the viability of the business. So I’m thinking of doing my project on road safety and wildlife protection by changing the normal “cat eyes” on roads. The idea is to design Wildlife Repelling Reflectors that don’t just guide drivers but also reflect car headlights sideways into the bush at animal eye level to scare animals away from the road. I also want to look at a second version, Smart Cat Eyes, that use small sensors and solar power to give off lights or sounds when cars come closer. The basic version would be cheap and easy to put on many roads, while the smart version could be used in high-risk areas like roads through game reserves. The goal is to help prevent accidents, save animals, and make roads safer.Project Deliverables
1. Elevator Pitch Video
Record a 2-minute video that pitches your business idea as if you are speaking to
potential investors. The video must include your own voice and not an AI voice-over.
Have a look at some shark-tank or dragons den pitches for ideas. The pitch must
explain:
(a) The problem being solved,
(b) The proposed solution,
(c) Why the solution matters,
(d) Who it is for (users vs. paying customers),
(e) Why now,
(f) Your ask.
2. Initial Pitch Deck
Submit a professional pitch deck of up to 10 slides. Slides must be visual, clear, and
not text-heavy. The deck should include:(a) Problem / Frustration
(b) Solution (product/service)
(c) Target Users vs. Paying Customers
(d) Market Opportunity
(e) Competition & Differentiation
(f) Business Model (how money will be made)
(g) Revenue Streams
(h) Marketing Strategy
(i) Technical Feasibility
(j) Risks & Next Steps
Final Business Plan
Submit a business plan (6 pages + up to 4 pages appendices). The plan
contents should include but is not limited to the following:
(a) Executive Summary
(b) Problem and Need
(c) Solution Overview (product/service)
(d) Target Market & Customers
(e) Marketing Strategy
(f) Competitor Analysis & Differentiation
(g) Business Model & Revenue Streams
(h) Financials (income, expenses, forecast, break-even)(i) Technical Feasibility
(j) Risks & Limitations
(k) Conclusion / Path Forward. I am doing this business idea in south Africa so all research should be south African. Project should be south African based.
The thing is though, i would need the elevator pitch video and the initial pitch deck done first, thereafter in a few weeks feedback will be given and the final business plan must be done taking into account the feedback.