Sophomores ILS show commitment

As far as possible, you should always be in control. That was the idea behind many of the 18 concepts presented by the sophomores of the International Lifestyle Studies at the Ideas Factory (Ideeënfabriek), Thursday, April 19th. The event, which attracted 200 visitors, is the result of a year of work.

Startup Chill'd Inc. focuses on young fathers with an app and a wearable. ‘There are already enough products on the market for mothers', explains Julie Maas. The starting point of Chill'd is to ensure that a young father can experience quality time with his partner. But then he must experience peace. Chill'd helps with this. A smart baby blanket collects data from the child, such as heart rate, temperature and sleep behavior. Via the app and the wearable, the father stays up to date. That gives him peace of mind.

The approach of De Ballenmeisje is completely different. With their sustainable ‘bitterballs’, they are responding to the waste of food in our society. ‘Our target group is the benevolent consumer who wants to consume sustainably, but finds the threshold too high', explains Anke van Ettinger. The young entrepreneurs came up with the idea of a bitterball containing residual products. To achieve this, they worked together with various restaurants in Tilburg. ‘This is a product that not only contributes to sustainability, it is also tasty.’

Startup Unforgettable focuses with Het Onvergetelijke Boek on family members, friends and acquaintances of people with dementia. ‘We noticed that many people have someone with dementia in their environment, including a girl from our group,’ says Kirsten van Ginkel. There are quite a few products for people who suffers from dementia, but not for volunteer carers. The book contains assignments that serve as a basis for a conversation. Kirsten: 'We have spoken extensively with the target group. It is important to do it together. It is nice to see that our initiative is appreciated.’

Photography Natalie Leeuwenberg