Miami, Oct. 25, 2017 – The Idea Center at Miami Dade College (MDC) announces a $50K Innovation Prize from the Veronica and Gaston Taratuta Foundation. It is an exciting entrepreneurship competition open to all MDC students and recent alumni, within last three years, who have innovative business solutions.
The winners will share in the $50,000 in prize money with a potential for up to $250,000 in follow-on investment. In addition to the funds, the Idea Center will support entrepreneurs to develop their ideas through educational workshops and mentorship.
The Idea Center is looking for entrepreneurs and innovators who can bring fresh ideas forward to solve critical problems affecting lives in our community. Their business should have a direct positive impact on the community while demonstrating the potential for business growth and sustainability. Some areas of focus can include tackling climate change, income inequality and poverty, public transportation, housing or healthcare. There are no restrictions to the type of problem being addressed, however, applicants should demonstrate their business solutions to be repeatable and scalable.
Four prizes will be awarded in two categories: start-up and existing business. One first place award for $25,000 and a runner-up $15,000 prize will be awarded for existing businesses and two for $5,000 each for startups. Winners will receive a complimentary branding strategy session with an industry expert, a featured page on The Idea Center website to profile the problems they are tackling and their proposed solution and enrollment at no cost into any Idea Center workshops and program for 2018. Winners will also be featured in The Idea Center newsletter and the Refresh Miami blog.
To apply, those interested must complete a registration form at http://theideacenter.co/solutions/, which also consists of a video submission. The form must answer the following two questions: What is the problem that you are trying to solve or need that you would like to satisfy? Why is your approach innovative? The one-minute video should include a detailed explanation of your solution and highlight its three key benefits, and examples, stats, or facts that support its impact and uniqueness. The deadline to apply is January 21.
The Idea Center @MDC
The Idea Center @MDC is the college’s hub of innovation, the place where students from all disciplines can gather, collaborate and take advantage of resources and training to develop their entrepreneurial ideas. Through cutting-edge entrepreneurship education, professional development and experiential learning, students and community members can acquire the tools needed to identify challenges and develop solutions. The Idea Center has several components including MarketHack, CREATE accelerator, CodePro, The Startup Challenge, and the Innovation Lab, to name a few. It is made possible through the support of Knight Foundation. For more information, visit www.theideacenter.co
For more information, please contact Idea Center Program Coordinator Gustavo Grande at ggrande@mdc.edu.