La Jolla transplant Ami Kassar has always imagined himself in a career where he could utilize his creativity.
His current position, chief innovation officer for Advanta, a credit card company, allows just that. An employee for eight years, Kassar's job is to imagine and then implement new possibilities for the business.
One such invention was "Ideablob." At ideablob.com users can present their small-business idea to peers who offer advice and suggestions, Kassar explained in a recent visit to his hometown.
The site, along with Advanta, also hosts a competition for the best small-business idea of the month. Selected by fellow users, one business per month wins $10,000 toward the advancement of their company. The prize is doubled if the winner happens to be an Advanta card-holder.
"The important thing about Ideablob is ... the community has the power to pick the winners," Kassar said. "That's what makes it different. It's not a panel of experts who pick - it's truly the power of the Web and collaboration."
The inspiration for Ideablob came from Kassar's yearly trip to Israel. In April 2007, he attended a conference on the future of the Internet known as Kinnernet where he saw the work of a young Israeli girl with aspirations in animation.
"I thought to myself, if she just had a little bit of money to help get her career going to the next level, what a difference it might make to her," he said.
And thus, the Ideablob brain-child was born.
Kassar, a South African native, moved to La Jolla in 1985 at the age of 12, just in time to begin classes at Muirlands Middle School. His father had a successful career requiring the family to move from place to place. He attended La Jolla High School, then Brandeis University in Boston.
Ideablob has had 11 winners since its inception in September 2007. Jessica Rauch and Eli Savit won recently for their nonprofit company, The Generation Project. The start-up allows donors to give to high-need students based on personal passions such as a musician sponsoring a music scholarship.
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