Launceston student who wants to help people feel loved and cared for awarded for her Big Idea

Helping people feel loved and cared for is the goal of an award-winning charity concept pitched by a Launceston student at a recent start-up program.

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HELPING people feel loved and cared for is the goal of an award-winning charity concept pitched by a Launceston student at Enterprize Tasmania’s recent Big Ideas Challenge.

The Challenge was designed to introduced participants to world’s best practice principles in early-stage business start-up development and was transformed into an online learning platform when COVID-19 struck.

More than 100 budding entrepreneurs, including school classes, completed the program over two weeks last month.

The program concluded with participants submitting a filmed 60 second elevator pitch to Enterprize for judging by a panel of lean start-up coaches and voting by the general public.

Award winners were recently announced.

Gabriella Piva’s charitable idea All Together Now won the student award in the social impact category and also the people’s choice award.

Launceston College student Gabriella Piva, 17, received two awards in the social impact category of Enterprize Tasmania's Big Ideas challenge. Picture: PATRICK GEE

She said All Together Now was an online platform helping Tasmanians in need of something to brighten their day, such as the homeless, those experiencing domestic violence and those in hospital for ongoing medical treatments.

It would allow people to go online and order a customised or pre-made care package, which could include items like tea, chocolates, snacks and toys.

“I'd like to make a difference and the people that I have told have had really positive reactions to it so I’d love to get it started,” Ms Piva said.

Ms Piva hopes to one day own day own her own beauty salon and said he new business skills would be useful.

Enterprize Tasmania community manager Kaitlin Roach said the key focus of the Challenge was start-up literacy.

“If Gabriella came up with a new idea next week, she is now equipped with all the start-up tools to apply to any idea that she has,” she said.