Innovate WithIN will host its annual state finals with 10 teams of high school entrepreneurs pitching their products and services at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8.
Innovate WithIN provides students across Indiana the chance to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas to experienced professionals for awards and scholarships. In response to COVID-19, the finalists — who advanced through two rounds of online and live pitching — will present virtually through Innovate WithIN’s website.
All teams are competing for the grand prize: $10,000, one year of in-state tuition, internship opportunities, and mentoring services. The winner will be selected from a panel of judges.
“In my third year of leading the Innovate WithIN program, I couldn’t be more pleased with our teams this year,” said Candy Dodd, project manager for the program and director of special initiatives at Ball State, a co-sponsor of the event. “Each year the quality of teams and pitches has improved and this is our most competitive yet,”.
From sustainable plant growth systems to therapeutic gloves for people with arthritis, the students are fueling new business ideas that aim to stimulate the local economy of Indiana.
“Innovate WithIN is more than a competition for money,” Dodd said. “It opens doors to professional growth and connections students may otherwise never have.”
Co-sponsors of the event include Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indiana Department of Education, and STARTedUP Foundation.