Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Menu
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…

READ MORE

Past Winners

2023 Winners 1st Place Innovation Award: BioGlyph — a software that streamlines the process of biologic, or medicine, development and iteration — as well as user modification tools — by allowing researchers to easily shift between visual, markup, and serial representations of medications developed from living organisms. Created by biology senior McClain Kressman and Nico…

READ MORE

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 &…

READ MORE

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 sustainable businesses.

Elevator Pitch winners Owen Works and Camille Boiteux holding their $1,000 and $500 awarded checks.

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.

READ MORE

Startup Launch Weekend

Starting a business usually requires months (or even years) of preparation. At Startup Launch 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.

READ MORE

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.

READ MORE
A group of students smiling and holding giant checks

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.

READ MORE

Camp PolyHacks

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

READ MORE