David Coffey didn’t let an unsuccessful entry into the DIGMYIDEA Māori innovation Challenge hold him back.

Instead, he took up the invitation to study Smart Steps to Business at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

The 23-year-old says what attracted him to the 20-week programme was the opportunity to learn from a new and original curriculum filled with crucial insights.

“I thought it would be beneficial for innovators who want up-to-date, modern, worldwide business information that ties in with New Zealand’s economy and politics,” he says.

“It matched it and I found it really good.”

The Level-3 course is designed to help budding entrepreneurs progress, evaluate, plan and launch a business idea that is market-ready, through specialised tutoring.

David says it’s also useful if - like him - you want to know about the role New Zealand  plays in the world of business.

“It’s got a lot of good information you need, especially if you want to go global.”

Growing up in Hamilton, the Ngāti Hine entrepreneur says his seven years experience in five different types of automotive engineering has equipped him to take on the complex world of environmental management.

Originally, he submitted two wearable technology ideas for DIGMYIDEA 2017 but since completing Smart Steps to Business, his ideas have now switched to carbon emissions and climate change. 

His goal is to “develop solutions in a multi-faceted way” as he investigates the ability to remove the gas from the atmosphere and reconstruct it into a solid that can be used to make things.

If it sounds big, it is. But David is not fazed. His desire to find innovative ways to tackle this issue has led him to find out how to set up a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) and register it with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

As an environmental treaty, the UNFCCC was adopted 26 years ago to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions and prevent global warming. 

“I'm quite set, business knowledge-wise, and what I learned also helped me with project and funding proposals, so we’ll see where that takes me,” he says.

And he’ll have the skills he needs, as he is now enrolled in the Level-4 Certificate in Small Business and Project Management programme .

While his initial pitch didn’t work out, David has no regrets about where DIGMYIDEA has taken him.

And as he keeps developing his concepts, he encourages anyone with a dream to enter the next round.

“DIGMYIDEA is a great experience that I’d highly recommend. The opportunity is definitely there to always learn more.”