Overview
Penn State Berks Flemming CEED Center invites all Penn State student teams to submit their innovative ideas to solve significant problems. We encourage all Penn State students to address local and global issues by creating ideas for innovative solutions.
![Ideas](https://sites.psu.edu/ceed/files/2023/08/ideas_1693268333.jpg)
![Idea](https://sites.psu.edu/ceed/files/2023/08/idea_1693268418.jpg)
What is an Idea Challenge?
An idea contest is a challenge in which you will provide a solution to a significant problem using your team’s skills, knowledge, and creativity. You will only conceptualize the solution. You don’t need to build the solution or create a business plan at this point.
What are the benefits?
The top three teams will receive Customer Discovery training and be eligible for a seed grant of up to $500 to further develop their ideas, such as prototyping. The seed grant is released on a reimbursement basis. In addition, teams will tap into the resources of the Flemming CEED Center, with the potential to connect with strategic partners, business mentors, and other students who help to turn your idea into a successful venture. The selected teams will be invited to attend the Flemming CEED Center Customer Discovery Lab in Spring 2024.
Recieve Funding
Top three teams can win have up to $500 funding for developing their ideas.
Make a difference while learning
Use your creativity and talent to make an impact while working with mentors and others while gaining valuable innovation, entrepreneurship, and interpersonal skills.
What is Customer Discovery Lab?
The first step of taking an idea from concept to business is validating whether your idea addresses an important problem of your target customers. Penn State Berk’s 4-week Customer Discovery Lab helps you better handle what problem your customer has, where they hang out, and what value you can provide that others can’t. The program introduces methods to test business models and markets. The Customer Discovery Lab is free of charge for selected teams. We will have a Customer Discovery Lab session in the Spring.
Application Process:
- Submit your application by September 29, 2023 (11:59 EST)
- The finalists will be announced on October 8, 2023.
- The finalists will be invited to pitch their ideas through a 4-minute video by October 22, 2023.
- The selected top teams will be invited to receive a 2-hour virtual training on Customer Discovery in early November (the date and time will be determined based on the team schedules). Teams will then interview a minimum of 10 potential customers and submit the findings of their customer discovery for the final phase of the idea contest (mid-November) and make a presentation.
- The top three teams will be eligible for a seed grant of up to $500 to further develop their ideas, such as prototyping. The seed grant is released on a reimbursement basis. In addition, teams will tap into the resources of the Flemming CEED Center, with the potential to connect with strategic partners, business mentors, and other students who help to turn your idea into a successful venture.
- The top three teams will then be invited to attend the Flemming CEED Center Customer Discovery Lab starting in the early Spring semester (February 2024).
Please reach out to Dr. Konak at auk3@psu.edu for your questions.