The Knight News Challenge accelerates media innovation by funding breakthrough ideas in news and information. Winners receive a share of $5 million in funding and support from Knight’s network of influential peers and advisors to help advance their ideas. The first round of 2013, which opens in February, will invite innovators from all disciplines to focus on tools for open government. In 2012, three challenge rounds, each focused on an emerging trend, drew more than 2,500 entries.
Challenge 1 - on NETWORKS: Winners were announced June 18.
Challenge 2 - on DATA: Winners were announced Sept. 20.
Challenge 3 – on MOBILE: Winners were announced Jan. 17.
Anyone, anywhere can apply for the challenge - whether for-profit start-ups or non-profit ventures. For more information on a variety of topics - from guidelines for for-profits, on intellectual property licensing, open source software and more - visit our FAQ.
1. What is your project? [1 sentence]
PPOLL is geo-demographic layer for online social content, which tags social content for mapping and filters it for consumption.
2. How will your project use mobile tools and approaches? [2 sentences]
PPOLL is a mobile (WAP) site which rides on Twitter APIs (and later Linkedin, Google+ and Facebook APIs) to display brand profiles.
Users of mobile social websites are ready for PPOLL.
3. Who will use it and why? [1 sentence]
POLL is structured as a give-and-take social tool – you get enrolled to quantify your social rating as you rate others.
4. Please list three ways they would learn about your project.
1 – On Twitter through paid marketers
2 – On Twitter through @CONNECT during popular events
3 – On startup launchpads (DEMO, iHub)
5. What connections have you made, or will you make, with others [communities, organizations or networks] about your project? [2 sentences]
I have enrolled beta testers and bloggers to guide me on the user interface and functionality as I develop the concept.
6. What part of the project have you already built? [1-2 sentences, feel free to include links]
Product is 50% developed – prototype mobile website is http://ppoll.mobi
7. What does success for your project look like? [1-2 sentences]
When the PP (Polled Persona) index becomes a standard for measuring social rating and when a million plus sentiments are posted daily via PPOLL, then it will have become a success.
8. What resources do you need to succeed? [1-2 sentences]
I need a month to complete development, a month after that to set up an institution around the product and launch and then financing for 6 months to grow to break-even.
Financial backing of 50,000 USD will suffice.
Additional details:
Please list who is on your team:
Eric Kotonya
Expected number of months to complete project:
Estimated Project Cost: 7 months, USD 50,000
Name: Eric Kotonya
Twitter: @COMFIED
Email address: eric.kotonya@comfied.com
Organization [if applicable]:
City: Nairobi
Country: Kenya
How did you learn about the contest?
