7 minutes in an Infiniti Q70 for a shot at $40,000

Your passion was unmatched! Congratulations
to our 3 entrepreneurs, we can’t wait to see what’s next for you!
pic.twitter.com/I3etOE5IJC

— Infiniti Middle East (@InfinitiME) December
9, 2015

Automotive brand Infiniti gave speed pitching a whole
new meaning with its business competition on December 9.

Thirty candidates from the GCC and Levant region
were selected to spend seven minutes in the Infiniti Q70 for a
chance to win $40,000.

Infiniti Middle East announced its first ever
speed pitching competition in early October, receiving more than
100 applications from UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi
Arabia, among others. It was the launch of the Infiniti Q70, a
car “born out of
entrepreneurial
thinking”, was the motivation for
the event.  

“The Infiniti Q70 is built as a
vehicle for those with drive,” said Craig
D’Silva,
Infiniti’s MEA PR and corporate
communications manager. “As a challenger
brand, we wanted to do something that would not only embed the Q70
campaign theme, but also support entrepreneurship in the
region.”

From the initial applicant pool, 30 candidates
were chosen to pitch their business idea during the event. Ideas
ranged from drone food delivery services to a rent payment app to
laundry services on the go. The only caveat to each proposal was
that the service or product had to add value to the
region.

Seven minutes in heaven?

Seven minutes in the Infiniti Q70, three
individual judges and six total laps around the racetrack in the
Dubai Autodrome; that was the pitching opportunity for each
candidate. The seven minutes, which adds up to 420 seconds, was a
play on the 420-hp output of the Q70.

Compeition judge Julio Corredor (left), asset manager at Action
Hotels PLC, sits with candidate Rich Fitzgerald in
the Infiniti Q70. 

Gemma Walters, founder and managing director of
her own career coaching service, did not expect to get this far in
the competition. She also did not expect to be pitching her idea in
a car.

“Usually
it’s a typical pitch in a meeting room
with your judging panel and your powerpoint,”
Walters said. “This car aspect is
unique [because] it’s just me, the car
and the judges, which is crazy”.
 

“When you have slides, you have a certain order in mind,” said
Paulo Silva, cofounder and managing partner of 247 Venues. “This is
much more natural discussion where you are not beholden to your
slides, which makes it more interesting.”

The judges panel was revealed on the day of the
event with each candidate meeting their individual judge upon
opening their assigned car door. Both, candidates and judges,
received a copy of the scorecard in advance.

Who, what, where?

After three rounds of potentially dizzying
pitching sessions, the 30 candidates were narrowed down to six.
These six then gave a two minute presentation to the entire judges
panel.

Peyman Parham Al Awadhi, entrepreneur and
founder of Wild Peeta and Qabeela New Media, said among the many
things the panel looked for in each candidate, he specifically
sought those that were ready to receive the money and make the most
of it.

“An entrepreneur survives by any
means necessary,” he explained.
“The potential to get $40,000 is a life changing
thing. I was looking for someone who, if given the money, would
make the biggest impact right now.”

During the two minute session, each candidate
had to also answer why their idea should be among the three sent to
Hong Kong. At the end of the day, the three that successfully
impressed the judges were – Stefano Fallaha from Lebanon, founder
of a hands-free voice based social network Fallound; Zaina Al Bader
from Kuwait and founder of Bookr, an app for booking appointments
on the go; UAE’s Thea Myhrvold, founder
of online tutoring platform Teach Me Now.   

The final three winners Zaina Al Bader, Stefano Fallaha and
Thea Myhrvold with Juergen Schmitz, managing director
at Infiniti Middle
East. 

Each will now travel to  the Infiniti Lab
in Hong Kong for a three-day mentorship series with Infiniti global
partner, Nest. The finalists will then pitch their businesses to a
panel of judges of Nest and Infiniti senior executives to win
$40,000 in seed level funding.

Al Bader, founder and chief technology officer of Bookr, said
the opportunity was incredible.

“It feels
great,” Al Bader said.
“I’ve never been to
Hong Kong, and I’m excited to be part of
Nest and learn more about the Asian
market.”

The competition was the first event of its kind
for Infiniti ME.

“We genuinely want to support
something meaningful,”
D’silva said.
“What’s next is based
on the results [of this event]. The aim is to grow while keeping
the event exciting and fair.”

Dubai-based Myhrvold won the final competition
in Hong Kong.