The Finals of °®¶¹´«Ã½ÊÓƵ’s Big Idea Competition
The final round of the Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s Big Idea Competition has $20,000 up for grabs.
04/17/2019 1:00 AM
The final round of the Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s 2nd annual Big Idea Competition has $20,000 up for grabs. The goal is to foster the innovation and ingenuity of °®¶¹´«Ã½ÊÓƵ’s students and to help them bring their ideas to life.
The Big Idea contest started with 37 ideas. The first round (completed) required students to develop a business idea. In the second round (completed), 25 competitors gave an elevator pitch to judges and set up a trade show booth to explain and promote their idea. The final round of judging will take place on Tuesday, April 23, when the six finalists will write a complete business plan with financial projections for the first three years and give a 10-minute presentation to the judges.
The finalists are:
- BAGG: A product that prevents extra long items in the back of trucks from sliding out.
- Dyme: An online clothing rental business that allows the user to make money on clothing that is just hanging in their closet.
- Postal Patrol: A product that eliminates theft of packages delivered to homes/apartments by providing a secure box large enough to hold packages.
- Pup Date: A social media oriented app that allows dog owners to find play friends for their pets.
- The Locals: A service that provides local guides for travelers to assure they receive a rich, cultural travel experience.
- WHIP: An app for college students that acts similar to Uber, but where students can make money and student passengers can know their driver instead of getting into a vehicle with a stranger.
Ken Klotz, Managing Director of the Turner School, says a program like this gives students, who always have ideas, a way to develop them and practice entrepreneurship in real life. “It’s not a business plan contest. It’s about developing a skillset and aptitudes that might be harder to develop in a classroom setting. The Big Idea competition is a hands-on, all-encompassing competition requiring them to push themselves and devote themselves to their ideas.” He says the amount of prize money might also be enough to launch their idea or accomplish a major milestone.
This is the most interdisciplinary program happening at °®¶¹´«Ã½ÊÓƵ. Every college on campus is represented and several different majors are too. Students are collaborating in the spirit of convergence to make their ideas come to life.
There will be a cash prize for the winners. 1st: $8,000; 2nd: $5,000; 3rd: $2,000; plus smaller specialty awards.