TestTown is Britain’s biggest high street enterprise challenge. It offers innovative young people the chance to test out great business ideas for real, in town centres all around the UK.
TestTown is a 7 day enterprise programme for young people aged 16-30 that is part pop-up festival, part skills course, part innovation competition by Carnegie UK.
TestTown is about giving the next generation of entrepreneurs the support to realise their potential while demonstrating how high streets benefit from imaginative thinking. Carnegie UK provide unique trading space, specialist advice and development funding.
TestTown isn’t a competition where you are judged on how much money you make – this is a competition which will reward innovative thinking, an enterprising mind and risk taking. Carnegie UK are looking for highly creative, innovative ideas to stretch the public’s imagination of what a town centre is.
Who is TestTown for?
TestTown is open to individuals or groups of up to 4 people aged 16-30, who live in the UK or the Republic of Ireland. Anyone with a good idea and the motivation to make it happen can apply.
The competition is open to people are who are in business, or are new to business. Participants can sell goods, provide services, or demonstrate new products. They can be charitable or for-profit. The only rule is that they use physical town centre space as a productive hub for delivering their business – whether that’s a shop, an office, a public park or a market stall.
Where is TestTown happening?
Eight towns and cities will host a TestTown competition in 2014, including Manchester. There will be 7 ‘TestTown Local’ heats in the spring and summer, building to the UK Grand Final in the Autumn.
A judging panel from each TestTown location will pick 5 teams with the most inspiring concepts to come to the TestTown Local finals week. Teams will be competing for the chance to win £500 start-up funding and a place in the National Final.
TestTown UK Grand Final
The TestTown UK Grand Final is the final stage of the UK’s biggest high street enterprise challenge. The Grand Final will see the winning teams from each TestTown Local once more demonstrating their businesses and competing to be named the winner of TestTown 2014. The winner will receive £10,000 start-up funding.
For further information and to take part, visit: www.testtown.org.uk/test-town-manchester/ or email: [email protected]