Takeoffs 2011: more than 100 ideas already!

• From a children's canteen through day care centres for senior citizens to a wellness hotel for dogs
• Union of Towns and Municipalities becomes a new partner of the project
• The best 42 regional projects and two winning national projects will be awarded prizes totalling over CZK 7 million
• Expert support provided during the whole first year 

Prague, 30 September 2011 – The first year of the Takeoffs for Start-ups project has already exceeded the first one hundred registered projects. They include day care centres and a home for senior citizens, craftsmen from different fields, a wedding centre, a children's shoe factory, a million-crown home, as well as such novel ideas as private car sharing and a wellness hotel for dogs. 

“Our biggest surprise yet is the surge of projects from Northern Moravia and the courage of women; following a slow start, ladies have been swiftly catching up to the men,” says Petra Pavičová, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at T-Mobile, adding: “We are also very pleased that we have managed to gain another partner – the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic.” 

Businesspeople interested in participating in the project include not only pure start-ups but also entrepreneurs wishing to expand their existing scope of business, e.g., a Děčín-based inbound travel agency for Czech-Americans searching for their ancestors, an entrepreneur from Prague offering homemade ice-cream subscriptions and a party-tent rental company from Jičín. Expert support from T‑Mobile has been also sought by a blacksmith from the Zlín region, a children's canteen from the Liberec region and a family bee-farm from the Olomouc region. Applications in the project have also been submitted by a Prague-based wedding centre, a pellet manufacturing plant from the Moravian-Silesian region and a truck parking place in the Cheb region. A number of applicants are thus making their dreams come true: some want to make profitable use of their hobby and sell their products while others are turning their fan sites into a source of income. 

Applications also comprise numerous social projects, e.g. a day care centre for senior citizens in Prague, a nursing home in the Pardubice region, remedial classes for children with various learning disabilities in Chotěboř, a job centre for the handicapped from Prague and long unemployed persons from the Ústí nad Labem region, and a shopping delivery service for the sick and elderly from Děčín. The first figures are interesting: 39% of the applications were sent in by women. Naturally, the biggest competition is in Prague, which is closely followed by Northern Moravia. 

“Given the project's focus, we expected more projects in web-based businesses and child care, as we all know there's a shortage of places for young kids on the market now. On the other hand, we've received applications with some novel ideas, such as an aquarium fish rental service and Czech car sharing,” says Petra Pavičová. 

Abbreviated abstracts of all competing projects are available at www.t-mobile.cz/rozjezdy. 

New partner
A new partner has joined the Takeoffs 2011 project which, in addition to Radim Jančura (owner of Student Agency) and Linda Vavříková (co-owner of Allegria.cz) is being organised under the auspices of the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic. The main reason for the involvement of the Union is to foster business development in towns and municipalities, and to explain the details of the competition and offer expert business advice to all businesspeople even in the smallest communities. The Union will also have its representatives on regional juries. 

Registration continues
Start-up entrepreneurs can still submit their applications by 17 October. Competing projects will be evaluated by a jury composed of representatives of T-Mobile, the media partner, representatives of the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic, expert partner ZaložFirmu.cz and successful businesspeople from the respective regions. Until the end of 2011, the operator will also organise regional workshops where consultants from various fields will be prepared to assist with their advice and successful regional businesspeople will share their knowledge with the participants. 

“Beginnings are hard and enthusiasm alone is not enough. Therefore we want to support the participants not only with our products but also know-how and experience, which are often crucial for success,” says Petra Pavičová. “Our lawyers, marketing experts and experienced accountants will thus be prepared to donate their time and use their know-how to help the participants in the Takeoffs project.“ 

Winners of the regional rounds will be announced at the regional gatherings. Regional winners will advance to the national round where the two main prizes will be awarded. 

Winners of the competition will receive telecommunications packages including notebooks and smart phones, marketing support packages and, last but not least, the necessary financial support to start their business. All throughout this first year of the competition, all project participants will be able to consult employee volunteers from T-Mobile regarding their business problems. 

Facts about the Takeoffs project
The registration form as well as other information, including the competition criteria and detailed rules, is available at www.t-mobile.cz/rozjezdy.  

The competition has two rounds: an expert jury will pick 14 main winners in the regional rounds from whom the two main prize-winners will be selected. The T-Mobile prize will be awarded by the expert jury. When selecting the winner, the jury will take into consideration both the business quality of the project and its benefits for the local community, the reasons for starting the business and the initiator of the project. The second national winner will be announced based on voting by the public, or more precisely readers of the iDnes.cz news portal, which is one of the media partners of the Takeoffs project together with the MF DNES daily. 

The overall winners will receive additional financial support in the amount of CZK 100,000 from T-Mobile. Participation in the project will also bring necessary publicity for the start-up businesses. The total value of prizes for the participants exceeds CZK 7 million. 

Legend:
Prague
Central Bohemia Region
South Moravia Region
South Bohemia Region
Hradec Králové Region
Karlovy Vary Region
Liberec Region
Olomouc Region
Moravia-Silesia Region
Pardubice Region
Pilsen Region
Ústí nad Labem Region
Vysočina Region
Zlín Region

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.