There are many great ideas that go undiscovered. All over the world, there are people with solutions, products, and technologies that could change the world. But the absence of funding they will need for development or promotional (marketing), makes it nearly impossible for them ever to move forward. Without funding they cannot develop in a practical sense or even fund any promotional efforts.
Most of the time, these ideas never get discovered, and even sometimes the vast majority of smart, creative people never get funding. But I believe in the power of digital technologies which can make a great difference. The things we can do these days with digital is really amazing. People can now utilize online digital solutions and showcase their ideas without making a large investment.
A video posted, a prototype shared over the web, or a social post can quickly go viral and the world will be looking. I have seen and heard of people with less than a hundred dollars get mass exposure just because they shared their work with the rest of the world. Once someone got their idea shared, whoever they had to be, with businesses, investors, or the community, they begin to probe and know more.
A primary example of where exposure matters was Microelectronics event which was recently held in London. In that event, large business interactions and small business interactions were under one roof. The least or smallest business was as likely as the largest business to showcase normal ideas. For the smaller businesses, those events, that exposure, provides a groundswell opportunity for partnership, new customers, new funding opportunity that resides within a large hall.
The truth is not everyone gets an opportunity with that type of event. The events are often headquartered in major cities and expensive to setup. That’s directly why most of the smart people living on the planet don’t get that opportunity and their ideas stays local, never reaching the right audience. This is the reason our digital tools or vehicle for exposure matter. The digital format can allow anyone anywhere to display and share, with everyone around the world.
Social media, crowdfunding platforms, and social online networks create and allow opportunities to showcase audiences beyond the very local audience. This is not a pure substitute for the larger events. This might offer a more level playing ground opportunity. So the point I'm trying to make here is that, don’t wait on the large or seed capital or large audience, or major global expo to show your idea.
Use the digital tools, when you have them. Many stories of success started in an online post, prototype video, or personal post with audience that was right. Often exposure in the very beginning steps lead to opportunity. Access to technology has increased exposure more than any other approach that i can think of. What bring any amount of capital we need may be the right exposure and those very individuals taking steps will expose themselves to the funding they need. Those who can share or tell their story to the world and show the potential for good behind it, could be the individuals to open the right doors.