2 weeks Ago By By Thomas Friesen
A last-minute idea and a one-minute pitch changed two Brandon University students’ lives. Read this article for free: Already have an account? As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! To continue reading, please subscribe: *$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $4.99 a X percent off the regular rate.
A last-minute idea and a one-minute pitch changed two Brandon University students’ lives. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? A last-minute idea and a one-minute pitch changed two Brandon University students’ lives. Hashim Farooq and Cole Kinney hit the Trans-Canada Highway to take part in the North Forge RampUp Weekend on April 11 in a bit of a panic.
They were planning to pitch an app that would help Manitobans seek health care more efficiently when Premier Wab Kinew announced essentially the same thing in Medinav.ca. The idea they planned to pitch with hopes of winning $10,000 and support to start their business was no longer an option.
Farooq and Kinney brainstormed and came up with Staff on Shift, an app designed to pair companies with short-term staffing in a pinch. Farooq pitched the idea, which earned more votes than the other 74 pitches in the competition, held at the University of Manitoba. Brandon’s Farooq Hashim (right) and Cole Kinney (third from right) won North Forge’s RampUp Weekend event, earning $10,000 for the business idea they pitched along with 74 other teams.
(Photo courtesy North Forge) Then, they added four men to their team, coded a website overnight, developed a five-minute presentation and delivered it on Sunday. Sure enough, North Forge’s panel of judges selected them for their top prize. “We screamed, we screamed loud,” Farooq said.
“It was absolutely insane. Honestly, it’s so hard to put to words because we thought we got solid second.” “It brought me back to my younger days .
.. sporting events where your team wins a huge game,” Kinney added.
“It feels so surreal — you’re here with your team, and it’s not something you can put into words.” The two came by the idea honestly. Farooq, who recently graduated from BU with a computer science degree, was a DJ with Trident Music for three years, performing at Brandon Wheat Kings games and places like the Great Western Roadhouse.
He realized it was too tough to balance busy academic weeks with commitments to DJ late into the night on weekends. Kinney, a business student at BU, worked his first gig at age 16 when a friend who worked banquets was short-staffed and asked him to pitch in. He went on to work for the Keystone Centre at Ag Days, Wheat Kings games and myriad other events.
“Every single time, the same thing happens,” Kinney said. “Someone doesn’t show up. It’s already fast-paced as it is, then someone’s left picking up the pieces, scrambling, making sure we can get somebody in.
“We thought (SOS) was such a great idea to one, take a load off all the people organizing it, and two, people like me, a student juggling classwork ...
having that flexibility. Flexibility shouldn’t mean uncertainty.” During the drive to Winnipeg, both realized how much they would have benefited from an app like SOS when they were younger.
They could have set flexible availability and worked when they could — not when they had to — easing the financial strain many students face while keeping up with their schoolwork. “We don’t want to do something we’re not passionate about,” Kinney said. “We were in this space and we wanted to solve it.
” They had their idea and just had to explain — in a mere 60 seconds before having their mic taken away — why others should care. Farooq delivered the pitch since he had more public speaking experience, and it drew rave reviews from the crowd. Once they were announced as one of the top 10 teams, they had other attendees sell their skills and vie for spots on their team.
Farooq and Kinney selected Pavan Balani, Rio Germinario, Jonathan Van Benthem and Andrii Provozin. The team stayed up all night and all day last Saturday as Farooq coded the website and the team developed a business model. “Those four guys, they put in so much work, stayed up countless hours with us to do that,” Kinney said.
Added Farooq: “They’re still part of the team. We’re going to work together to build this business from the ground up.” Farooq said they’ve already connected with a few larger businesses, including the Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball club, as the majority of its employees are seasonal, and Always Dale, an event management company known for major music events like Summer of Sound.
The process is simple and works similarly to Uber and DoorDash. Companies post jobs with requirements, pay and other pertinent details while workers have profiles including their skills, availability and what pay range they’re willing to work for. The site will include a vetting process for workers to upload documents.
For example, those seeking bartending work must verify their Smart Choices certification. There’s no subscription cost, so SOS takes a cut of the company’s fee with the rest going to the worker. Then they had five minutes to pitch it to about 400 people, followed by a three-minute question-and-answer period.
“You have so little time to perfect it,” Kinney said. “The whole experience was super exciting but super nerve-racking.” North Forge CEO Joelle Foster sees true potential for the idea, but also for Kinney and Farooq.
She had some inside information about the process as her husband was one of their mentors during their sleepless weekend. What stood out to Foster was how coachable they were and how they took her husband’s advice to heart, using it to mould their final pitch. “They listened, they were coachable, that’s a big thing,” Foster said.
“If an entrepreneur won’t check their ego at the door and listen to advice, the chances of them succeeding are slim to none. “What the judges were looking for was an idea they can start tomorrow, start building and there is a need for it. They proved that with their market,” Foster added.
“It is a really good idea. Now at North Forge, we want to help them take that to the next level.” Kinney still has a degree to complete in the meantime.
He wrote a paper on the ride back to Brandon, though it has been admittedly tough to focus on school after the craziest weekend of his life. “Coming from Brandon University,” Farooq said, “a fairly small school, went to a really big school filled with people who have actual business degrees and master’s in business, people in their 40s, late 50s who have started multiple businesses ..
. going against them as first-time contenders ..
. and coming up on top was absolutely insane.” Both know SOS might suddenly be their focal point for the indefinite future.
“We have to get over that high and get straight on our horse right now,” Kinney said. » [email protected] Advertisement Advertisement.
