Chytrid-BANG! An innovative business start-up.

This week in an attempt to open young minds to the idea of forming a business idea and set-up, Chris Walker a business manager who has given a series of lectures on business and innovation (which you can find here), gave an interesting session on how to get 3rd year Zoology students to invent and market a product.

With dissertation deadlines looming and exams on the horizon, the seminar gave a well needed break from stress and allowed a more creative side of students to emerge.

My group of primarily herpetologists came up with a variety of interested (albeit some far-fetched) ideas including:

1. Pleistocene park- an interactive park where scientists could work on bringing back extinct organisms such as the Mammoth (as an alternative to Jurassic park).

2. Glo-Trees- An innovative, science based way of reducing artificial light by producing a light based epiphyte (a plant that lives on another plant) that would produce natural light in streets.

3. The Herp-e-dex- An idea inspired by the 'pokedex' from a children's classic animated series and game Pokémon, which would categorize and identify amphibians and reptiles, as well as storing any new information on the organism.

A Pokedex, from the animated series and game Pokémon

Lastly, after a lengthy debate, we settled on a more straight forward product that we could easily produce, market and test... Chytrid-BANG! Bang and the fungus is gone.

Our simple , first draft logo design

The product was a simple solution designed to kill the devastating amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (which you can read more on in my previous blog here). We would design a clear brand which we could market to target the deadly fungus, as well as producing a variety of products to keep the business afloat.

60% of people do not know what chytrid fungus is

The deadly effect of chytrid fungus

The best part of this product however was the message we were aiming to get across. A small survey conducted by our team revealed that around 60% of people have no idea what 'chytrid fungus' is, despite the huge effects it is having on amphibian populations across the globe.

We were hoping to spread the message across, as well as the importance of amphibians in the ecosystem and the need for conservation.

After our lively debate brainstorming logo's, slogans and brand ideas we finally set to work on designing a clear business plan, crowdfunding video and a pitch to potential investors. I was appointed team facilitator, a role I used to help steer the team in the right direction and to keep on track.

My team were a rather lively bunch and to keep them on track was, at times, a challenge but it helped me learn new skills including delegating tasks and understanding individuals needs to ensure a smooth completion of the task.

The Business Model Canvas: Our small business idea developing into a real plan

Reflection

Overall, the session we had allowed myself and my team members to really access our creative side, as well as tuning into important aspects of our degree and what we hope to pursue in the future. I myself realised that building a business would be quite helpful in spreading the word for some incredible creatures that I hope to work on int my Masters and possibly my PhD. The session also helped me realise that I would like to work on public opinions and possibly into a career of teaching individuals on the importance of global disease and conservation.