29.9.2017
Idea Knockout was held in co-working space HUB385, organised by the magazine Bug and in partnership with Hrvatski Telekom, on 28 September 2017 for the fourth consecutive year.
Dragan Petric from Bug and Head of the Expert Panel Bojan Mušćet from Hrvatski Telekom with the winners
The Karlovac-based Start-up CircuitMess was the winner of this year’s edition of Idea Knockout, the biggest and the most exciting technology idea competition in the region. The eighteen-year-old Albert Gajšak is the person behind CircuitMess, the start-up that developed the video game console named MAKERbuino intended for the acquisition of the basic knowledge in the STEM field (science, technology, electronics, and mathematics).
In January 2018, the young Gajšak will take his MAKERbuino video game console to CES 2018. The victory at Idea Knockout 2017 provided him with two return flight tickets to Las Vegas, hotel accommodation in Las Vegas, free Uber rides in Las Vegas, and the exhibition stand at CES 2018, where he will present his product to the largest international audience comprising of tech journalists, investors, and potential distributors from the US and from throughout the world.
MAKERbuino is a video game console that is delivered in components, and it needs to be assembled, following the instructions provided on the Internet, which is a process through which the user will develop passion for programming, electronics, and technology. MAKERbuino enables one to play video games only after having been assembled. Over 2,500 MAKERbuino video game consoles have been sold thus far. It is important to highlight that this video game console has recently raised $100,000 through a campaign on Kickstarter, exceeding the pre-defined objective tenfold.
The second ranked team at Idea Knockout 2017 was the Split-based Me.mum, whose eponymous gadget, combined with a mobile app, in an extremely accurate way calculates the most fertile day in a woman’s menstrual cycle, significantly increasing the chances of getting pregnant. The third-ranked team Parklio, also from Split, made an impression on the Expert Panel with its smart parking lot management system which enables parking reservation and payment through a mobile app. The three best teams will present their inventions to the audience at Bug Future Show 2018, which has been announced for the beginning of next year.
Idea Knockout – "ticket" for CES 2018
The Expert panel at Idea Knockout comprised of Nikolina Zečić from Zagrebačka banka, Ljubiša Miodragović, Vice-President of EISA, Marin Trošelj from the start-up STEMI, as the winner of last year’s edition of Idea Knockout, Davor Tremac, General Director of Uber Croatia, Ivan Polojac from Samsung, Hrvoje Balen from Algebra Open University, Luka Sučić from HUB385, Ivan Brezak Brkan from Netokracija, Dragan Petric from Bug, and Head of the Expert Panel Bojan Mušćet from Hrvatski Telekom. Surveillance of the regularity of the Expert Panel was performed by Suzana Vezilić from the Commercial Service of the US Embassy in Zagreb.
Idea Knockout 2017 was held under the general sponsorship of Hrvatski Telekom and was sponsored by Algebra Open University, Zagrebačka banka, Samsung, Uber, HUB385, and Beck's Brewery. 20 teams from throughout Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the competition, making this competition yet again the greatest start-up event in the region this year. CES 2018 will be held in Las Vegas from 9 to 12 January 2018, and the winning team will have the opportunity to participate as an exhibitor.