Students win $25k to play their cards right with digital app
Our idea went from a microbusiness when we began START, to a decent-sized Australian business, to something that now has the potential to be a fully-fledged international company.
Two students have secured a $25,000 grant to develop an app that will bring one of the world's most popular trading card games into the digital age.
Brothers Sebastian and Nick Harrison will be creating an app that allows players of the game Magic: The Gathering to scan their cards and create a digital catalogue that will allow collectors to link up with others worldwide so they can trade cards.
The brothers, who are studying Bachelors of Science and Software Engineering respectively, are one of seven teams who have been accepted into a three-month program known as the GRIFFIN Accelerator which will allow them to further develop their product through a series of mentoring sessions with local entrepreneurs.
Under the program, the boys will receive a $25,000 investment from the entrepreneurs that will go into their business, known as OzGuild, in exchange for a 10 per cent stake in the business.
The extra funding comes on top of the $2,000 they received from the ANU Students' Association's START program and a $10,000 grant from InnovationACT.
"It's insane to think how far we've come in under a year," Sebastian says.
"Our idea went from a microbusiness when we began START, to a decent-sized Australian business, to something that now has the potential to be a fully-fledged international company. Who knows where we'll be by the time we finish GRIFFIN."