InnoCentive - it works!!

bigbrownelk · 18 March 2008 at 2:05PM

Hi,

I just wanted to let you know about some good luck I've just had, thanks to MoneySavingExpert. After reading the Boost Your Income article over Christmas I went to the InnoCentive website and registered as a Solver. Most of the requests are for very high tec solutions that I had no idea about but there were some marketing queries so I gave one a go. I spent an hour putting together my proposal and then submitted it.

I'd almost forgotten about it but in February I had an email saying my idea was successful! The prize is $5,000US so for an hour of work that was quite a good return. I'm not a marketing consultant so it wasn't even my field but I beat over 500 other submissions. Initially my family all thought it was some kind of scam but after I showed them the site, the Wikipedia entry and the Economist award they'd won they finally believed me!

I just have to get my Agreement notarised by a Notary Public which is costing £60 but that is not bad in return for nearly £2,500. I'll let you know when it comes through, just to prove it is real.

I've had a bit of a grim time financially, having had ME/CFS for three years and being very short of money. I wanted to give a bit of hope to anyone who is where I was (unhelpful banks, unhelpful income protection company, etc) and say that if you stick with it your luck will turn. I know this is a bit of a fluke but it is alway worth a try!

red_devil · 18 March 2008 at 2:07PM

whats the website?

bigbrownelk · 2 November 2008 at 4:26PM

Red Devil,

The website is http://www.innocentive.com The money came through pretty fast after I'd sent over all the paperwork and they were very helpful as I had to fill out a US tax exemption form.

Good luck!

Liz3yy · 2 November 2008 at 5:09PM

Sounds a bit fishy to me, sorry if that sounds cynical

sharpe106 · 2 November 2008 at 5:20PM

me too when ever you have to pay something to get a prize

geordie_joe · 2 November 2008 at 5:21PM

It may have worked for you, but it didn't for the 499+ people you beat.

ZLS1984 · 2 November 2008 at 9:49PM

Have you got any more info or tips on this as it seemed a bit fishy to me. If you got the money though it must work, I am just worried about bank details and such as I had my card cloned not so long back.

glowgirl_2 · 6 July 2011 at 9:19AM

Well done OP, to others thinking of this and who are worried about bank details etc, open up a basic bank account for internet use only and keep a very low balance in it - problem solved;)

Browntoa · 6 July 2011 at 9:15PM

Tim , you need to read

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/site/forum-faqs#company

it also explains why your earlier posts got removed

Former_MSE_Andrea · 12 July 2011 at 5:52PM

Hi

Innocentive has asked us to post a response on this thread. MoneySavingExpert doesn't endorse anything a company says on our forum.

Hi everyone, my name is Tim O’Brien and I’m the manager responsible for our Solver community at InnoCentive. I stumbled upon this post and wanted to respond. First, let me congratulate the OP for solving one of our Challenges! To provide some background, InnoCentive was founded in 2001 within the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and spun out as a private company in 2005. We are based in the US just outside of Boston in Waltham, MA. I can assure you that we are legit and in fact we've paid over 8.5 million USD in prizes since our founding.

To the OP’s original point, the winning Solver is required to confirm his or her identity and sign, have notarized, and return an Affidavit re-affirming the electronic agreement they originally signed. I know it may sound a bit arduous, but we handle the back end administration work. We just need some paperwork from the Solver to ensure everything is legit (and so that they can get paid!). And to pay our international Solvers, we need to wire the money, hence why wiring and routing instructions are necessary. The OP’s notary fee seemed a tad high to me, though I must profess that I don’t know what the ‘right' fee is in the UK. Here in the States, the service is usually free at your local bank or maybe 10 USD at the local FedEx/Kinkos.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my post, and I hope I've addressed some of your concerns.

Best Regards,

Tim O’Brien
InnoCentive, Inc.

InnoCentive - it works!!

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