Red Bull Basement 2020 is an open call for student innovators in all areas of study to innovate, collaborate and improve student life.
The program, expanding to more countries than ever in its third year, encourages student entrepreneurs to take a look at all aspects of life on campus and in their communities and imagine creative ways to do things better.
Red Bull Basement aims to tear down one of the great barriers to innovation: passive acceptance of “it’s that way because it’s always been that way”.
By taking action now and tapping into Red Bull Basement’s worldwide network of resources and connections, young technology innovators don’t need to wait until graduation to bring about positive social change locally and, quite possibly, in the world at large.
To help the next generation of students develop their ideas, the program provides resources such as mentors, workshops, networking events and more, both online and on participating campuses.
All activity leads up to the Red Bull Basement 2020 Global Workshop, where thought leaders, entrepreneurs and visionaries from around the world will support students from more than 35 countries to bring their ideas to life.
To enter, currently-enrolled university students aged 18 and older simply need to visit the Red Bull Basement website and upload a 60-second video that clearly and succinctly shares their idea with the public.
Public voting will take place during the week of 26 October.
The top-voted ideas from each country will make it to the judges’ round. A panel of judges will select the best single idea to represent each country, based on creativity, feasibility and impact.
Each country’s finalist team will then further develop their idea with the help of the Red Bull Basement network including an international mentor programme, access to workspace and micro funding prior to the Global Workshop.
Previous Global Workshops were held in Berlin (2018) and Toronto (2019). South Africa had its own team in Toronto last year with Siphamandla Mqcina and Philanjalo Ndlovu from C4ME who showcased their innovative idea to a global audience.
This year, the immersive, hands-on, three-day event will feature workshops, additional mentorship programs, and various surprise activities. It all leads up to a final pitch to the judges.
The Global Workshop that the successful entrepreneurs will be attending in 2020 is scheduled for 10-13 December, and the format will be announced soon.