The 2016 Innovation Competition at Dickinson College is getting underway, and the registration for teams closed at 5pm on Friday, 5 Jan. As of Friday afternoon, there are 19 registered teams and seventy participants. The competition is meant to uphold the standards of a Dickinson education. Each team must be interdisciplinary, and the projects must be sustainable in nature, though they can be of any scale. Edward Finocchiaro ’15, Alex Torelli ’16 and Philip Velez ’15 created the competition along with Associate Professor of International Studies, Business and Management Michael Fratantuono and Associate Professor of International Business and Management Helen Takacs.
The competition begins next weekend with an all-day workshop on Jan. 13 for the teams, as well as anyone interested in entrepreneurship. The workshop consists of an introduction to start-ups, finance, and marketing and strategy. It will conclude with an interactive discussion. Then, the three rounds of competition will begin. Teams are encouraged to utilize on campus resources and student groups such as the Idea Fund and Student Investment Group. They can also seek mentorship from alumni.
Each team will create a business plan that will increase in detail and quality after each round. The final three teams will present their ideas to a panel of judges on May 5, when the winner will be chosen. Past winners include Team Vertex’s vehicle for information searches, Team GelSox’s idea for a pad to be inserted in shoes that rub the back of the wearer’s ankle, and Team Sharing’s app for locating needed items for sale with in one’s immediate radius. This year’s ideas and inventions are looked forward to by all those involved in the competition and its judging.
Have any questions about the competition? Send them in, and we’ll find out!
Margot McCrillis
Contributing Writer