As a business student, James Matsuba was like most students – stuck in poorly paying part-time jobs that didn’t utilize his skills and education, and took up too much time.

“You don’t want to give up every evening and weekend for some of the jobs that are out there,” he says.

In his second year of university, it dawned on him: there must be a way to connect students and other people
seeking flexible opportunities – either employment, contract work or any other arrangement – with businesses hungry for labour. This would make the most of students’ spare time while earning them money.

So Matsuba began to mull over the idea of a website that would help people and businesses connect. He initially
created a business plan through CEFE, a University of Alberta student business plan competition before entering TEC VenturePrize as a student competitor. Winning the TEC VenturePrize Student Business Plan Competition has been an enormous gain for IdleTime. “When you’re starting a company, every little cent counts,” says Matsuba of the $6,000 in prize money the company received.

But all of the other supports have meant a lot, too. The experience has given him great networking opportunities,
entrance into an entrepreneur boot camp and advice from seasoned entrepreneurs.

“It kind of gets us a foot in the door so we can actually pitch the idea a little bit easier.”

Since participating in TEC VenturePrize, IdleTime has entered the testing phase of the site, and is collaborating with users to work out any bugs. The company plans to go live before the end of the year.

Edmonton Journal/Calgary Herald Advertorial October 2008