Infinite Path

Generating revenue from online activity is a decidedly tricky and unreliable process that has plagued internet-savvy entrepreneurs for years now. Coming up with an initial idea can be relatively simple but, as fans of the hit TV show ‘Dragon’s Den’ will be able to testify, trying to align this concept with a serious business model capable of pulling in the pounds is far from easy.

Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that most of us grew up in a world not truly dominated by online spaces and concepts. How would a generation that grew up immersed in technology and the web deal with such an issue? An event that took place in central London this weekend may have provided some answers to this particular question.

‘Young Rewired State’, an event held at Google’s London offices, saw dozens of teenagers gathering together to think up clever and innovative methods of freeing up public data. The results of putting around 70 web-savvy teenagers in an enclosed space together with mentors from Google and Rewired State were quite remarkable.

One group thought of a way to free up bus timetable information from the Transport for London website in order to provide instant updates about bus times and delays to the user’s mobile phone. This particular group was handed the “Most Likely to be Bought by Google” award as a judging panel populated by officials from the government and big names in the web industry failed to hide their excitement at seeing a generation capable of describing a concept which could truly catch on in the technology world.

The London bus data idea was not the only concept to be applauded by the judging panel. A website designed to match teenagers seeking work experience in the web industry with companies seeking young talent was lauded for being a simple yet potentially effective idea whilst a project pulling together street crime reports from various search engines and aligning them with Google Maps in order to define a safe route to school for young people gained a special mention.

Not too much should be read into one event and the talent of just 70 teenagers but it seems clear that, with the right guidance and leadership, the future could be very bright indeed for the British web and technology industry.