After finishing his BA in computer science, and graduating Cum Laude at that, Amir Wald set his sights on creating a way to connect collectors from around the world. With the creation of Colnect, Amir broke through to win 2009's Startup 2.0, a competition among the best European 2.0 websites.
Amir Wald
You could say Amir Wald's wiki-styled project started all in the family. Both his father and brother were avid collectors of phone cards, which spurred the idea of Colnect, a site where collectors connect to trade and buy mass-produced collectibles. The innovative idea of connecting a vast worldwide community still needed a marketing punch; puppets. Amir credits his winning the top prize in the 2009 Startup 2.0 competition to the video presentation he made, featuring puppets explaining the project. This cleverly kept intrigue up, and tougher questions at bay, during the jury's review, netting him the sought-after top prize.