The 2016 Wearable Tech Torino comes with an important addition, the Wearable Business Ideas. We will try to better understand it by asking some questions to those who created it: Simone Lanzafame (Communications and Marketing Manager) and Angelo Tarditi (Project Manager of Wearable Business Ideas).

What is the Wearable Business Ideas?

“The Wearable Business Ideas is a competition dedicated to wearable technologies. Teams will compete in a realistic context in order to realize their project and they will be judged by a panel of experts during the four weeks of competition. Each week includes a test, which will be made after following some online lessons, and that will be then delivered to the jury. The winning team will earn 500 euros in Amazon vouchers and a free entry ticket to the hackathon which will take place during the 2016 WTT. The tuition fee includes a contribution of 5 Euros per participant. ”

Where was the WBI idea born ?

“The foundations of the project were laid during WTT 2015, where visitors could suggest their idea for wearables through a showcase. For 2016 we decided to expand the project to reach as many people as possible in Italy and, online lessons seemed to be a convenient and a practical solution for those who follow us from their homes. Thus, it’s possible to access the material at any time, without being physically in Turin, the city where the WTT event will be held. The WBI is part of the”Make it Wearable” path, which also includes the hackathon and the fair itself: it goes from conception up to its practical realization, and then it ends with the exhibition at the fair. It’s a nice way to get in touch with the wearable world. ”

What are the requirements to participate in the contest?

“The minimum age is 17, just in order to bring more people into the wearable world. No special skills are required, so you don’t need to be a programmer, you just need to be creative and be familiar with the wearable wolrd. Our advice is to create heterogeneous teams with computer enthusiasts, people involved in business, design and creativity. Furthermore, registration is open all around the country thanks to the online lessons, so the challenge promises to be interesting. ”

How will the lessons be structured?

“The lessons will provide the necessary tools to deal with the weekly tests and will be taught by qualified people. It begins October 10 and will end on the first week of November. Teams will have to figure out how to develop their own wearable idea, choosing to operate in one of the various fields involved in this technology. Every week there will be a maximum of 4 lessons of 12 minutes each, to allow everyone to develop their idea. They will figure out how to make money from their idea with the creation of a business plan and they will think about how to promote the product through social networks and the relationship with the press. Finally, members will learn how to pitch their ideas to investors. It’s a contest, but it simulates what happens in real life. With WBI we hope to offer the skills that members can use in their future work. It is important to understand what happens in a group where there is a division of tasks and roles, and the WBI is a good opportunity to get involved, learn and grow. “