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Prepare / Innovation Quest (iQ)

2023 Schedule

Info Session #1

Thursday, Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. | Nash Family Entrepreneurship Lab (02, 210)

Info Session #2

Tuesday, Jan. 24 | 6 p.m. | Nash Family Entrepreneurship Lab (02, 210)

Online Submissions Due

Friday, March 17 (11:59pm)

Finalists Announced

Week of March 27th

Finalist Coaching and Mentoring

Month of April

Finalist Pitches & Awards Banquet

Saturday, April 29 | ALL DAY

iQ FAQ

Innovation Quest FAQ Question: Do I have to be working on a technology company to compete? Answer: No. You have to be working on something innovative that has market potential. Students regularly work on technical, business models, and new product innovations. Question: I’m not that far along on my project yet, is it too early…

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Past Winners

2022 Winners 1st Place Innovation Award: Adapted Mobility – a startup developing compact, capable and intuitive mobility devices from commercially available electric unicycles. 2nd Place Rich and Jackie Boberg Innovation Award: Fem Forward – a startup creating leak-proof period shorts for women to wear when sleeping during their menstrual cycle. 3rd Place Award: Grip Safe…

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2023 Schedule

Info Session #1 Thursday, Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. | Nash Family Entrepreneurship Lab (02, 210) Info Session #2 Tuesday, Jan. 24 | 6 p.m. | Nash Family Entrepreneurship Lab (02, 210) Online Submissions Due Friday, March 17 (11:59pm) Finalists Announced Week of March 27th Finalist Coaching and Mentoring Month of April Finalist Pitches &…

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Prepare

The center prepares students to become emerging leaders and career ready entrepreneurs who generate innovative solutions to real-world problems, research promising technologies and develop viable business plans.

Elevator Pitch Competition

You know that idea you’ve always had? The one you think could make you millions? Well, this is your chance to share that idea with the world and possibly win $1,000. The Elevator Pitch Competition gives students 90 seconds to pitch their best idea to a panel of entrepreneurs and compete for cash prizes.

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Startup Marathon

Starting a business usually requires months (or even years) of preparation. At Startup Weekend, though, we give you only 54 hours to build a business with a team of strangers. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to find out what it takes to produce a viable startup in the modern world.

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The Hatchery

At the CIE, we understand that your best ideas can arrive before your diploma. In fact, the startups that change the world often begin in dorm rooms and classrooms. We designed the Hatchery to shape and grow student-led startups, enabling students to develop the proper tools for building a business from scratch.

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Innovation Quest

A great startup requires more than just a great idea; it needs support from the market, clients and investors. Innovation Quest (iQ) serves as the support system that provides the fuel for great ideas. With a $15,000 grand prize and over $10,000 in additional prize money, iQ can transform your idea into a financially-backed endeavor.

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Camp PolyHacks

Cal Poly is home to some of the most creative programmers and designers in the world, so we created a student-run, multidisciplinary hackathon dedicated to social entrepreneurship and human-centered design.

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