A.J. Khubani, infomercial king, is looking towards an unlikely group of people for his next big idea reports The Washington Street Journal.
The chief executive officer of Telebrands, the As-Seen-on-TV marketing company behind peel-and-stick adhesive light bulbs and mini-stairs for pets, is holding the first Student Inventors Day on Wednesday in partnership with the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.
The winners, ages 8 to 14, will receive $500 to $1,000 in college scholarships and, if their parents agree, the chance to work with Telebrands to market and sell their proposed consumer products.
If the inventor’s day is a success, Mr. Khubani says he plans to replicate the project in science centers across the country, to “try to get education to focus more on entrepreneurship,” he says.
“The biggest innovations come from small companies and entrepreneurs,” says Mr. Khubani. “How are we going to get ahead as a country if we’re not fostering entrepreneurship and creativity?”
Photo by Michael McCauslin