Pitching itself somewhat a cross of The X Factor and Dragon’s Den, Will.i.am and Simon Cowell are said to be in the planning stages of a new spin-off of The X Factor destined to discover the next Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg.

Proposed to be called ‘X Factor For Tech’ (genius!), The Voice judge and former Black Eyed Peas star revealed his and Cowell’s intentions to start up the show at a technology conference in London. “We’re working on a project called X Factor For Tech – and it’s going to be out of this world. Singing and performance create a couple of jobs, but this will create lots,” he explained.

Will.i.am has roots in the tech industry, with Intel naming him 'Director of Creative Innovation' at the company early last year.Though details of the show so far remain scarce – we can probably expect details to seep through as the idea gets pitched to networks – the ‘spin-off’ tag invites us to believe it will follow a similar format to the music-based reality show, with ‘contestants’ or entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to the judges. Presumably this will mean the vast majority will be hit with a heavy dose of reality, their grand plans for a new start-up shot down as swiftly as they were pitched. But Will.i.am remains optimistic; “It's about getting in touch with youth and giving them a platform to express themselves – whether it's in science or mathematics.”

Quite how Cowell and Will.i.am will apply themselves to a tech-orientated reality show in favour of the glitz, glamour and garishness of The X Factor and The Voice is intriguing. And so too will be the kind of judges that the show will unquestionably attract.

Richard Birkett