The winner of this year’s TMDI by ICTSA was Benjamin Le Brun with his Artificially Intelligent Self-Care Expert Texting Panda.
The TMDI came to a close during the last weekend of April. ICTSA spoke to Benji and asked him the following questions:
How were you feeling throughout the experience?
Overall experience was thoroughly enjoyed. Nervousness was obviously present especially when it came to putting together the business model and pitch for the judges. The intense 3 day experience was tiring but very rewarding at the end especially after results.
What was your favourite part of the 3 day experience and why?
His favourite part was on the last day, when everyone presented their ideas and pitches to the judges. Versatility and diversity of ideas at its best.
How were you feeling during the presentation? Did you like the feedback from the judges?
On the last day, during the pitch, confidence is key. After the pitch, he was very pleased with the judge’s feedback and felt as though what they said is going to be very useful for future developments and pitches.
What is Texting Panda?
Benji’s idea was a service called Texting Panda, which is an artificial intelligence self-care expert that is used to track moods, habits and have better knowledge about their mental wellbeing. The person using this app service is able to essentially text the panda to open up about how they are feeling, get insecurities off their chest and seek help. The app itself is going to be integrated into a platform that will connect therapists and clinicians alike with the patient themselves to allow a real connection between the two to give immediate help and better tackle the mental health issues and problems as they are unfolding.
Were the mentors helpful?
The mentors were very helpful. The ideas that were sprung around during the mentoring session were taken keenly on board to better the business pitch on the last day in front of the judges. The mentors provided Benji with a third-person perspective on the idea, much akin to the stance that the judges were at on the final day. They aided him in both the development of the business idea as well as the idea itself.
What are your thoughts after winning and what will you do now?
Texting Panda won overall as well as the most innovative idea. The €500 prize money was directly and immediately invested into the business development of the business to formally set up the business. At the Take-Off office, Benji will be reuniting with the mentors to see what are the best steps to take from here on out to ensure success in all aspects, first taking on the development stage of the app.
Overall, it was a very good experience and I would recommend it to anyone who has a new idea, or even those who don’t have an idea yet and just want to go through the ideation process, the process of putting together a business presentation and pitching it in front of judges
It was a perfect testing ground for me to practise my pitching skills and actually put forth an idea I believe in in front of live judges before taking it forward to larger funding schemes and competitive areas. We are very happy to have had this solid platform to allow us to take the further steps to eventually bring our application to market
Benjamin Le Brun
ICTSA would like to congratulate and thank everyone who took part and we are sure that the sleep deprived and Red Bull-infused 3 days paid off in the end! We hope to see you next year!