http://money.cnn.com/gallery/smallbusiness/2013/10/29/walmart-contest-finalists/2.htm

Walmart’s “Get on the Shelf” initiative is a contest devised by the retail corporation to attract aspiring entrepreneurs into their business. Innovators from all around the world pitch their business ideas to Walmart for a chance to have their product sold at Walmart’s thousands of locations worldwide. Beyond this, Walmart is also going to invest in such a company to ensure it has the necessary resources to improve, expand, and refine their business.

Using a entrepreneurial mindset similar to those who presented in COMM 101, the top five finalists in the contest have designed a product to address a specific issue or problem in society today. Synette Tom, founder of Gibi Technologies, devised her dog-tracking technology after she lost her Golden Retriever at the park one day. Likewise, Angelle Abright came up with Chemo Beanies (a fashion house selling headbands) after she lost all her hair from radioactive treatment and was looking for alternatives to current headwear.

Walmart, which is considered by some to have the strongest buyer power in the world, is leveraging this power to bring relevant and clever products to consumers. On the other hand, for a prospective entrepreneur, there is perhaps no better place to start a business. Products sold at Walmart benefit from high visibility and strong market coverage- virtues that are often difficult to gain for a start-up.