Do you have a product or service that provides a measurable impact on the lives of women and families?

If so, you could have the chance to compete in the InnovateHER challenge for one of three prizes totaling $70,0000.

The InnovateHER challenge, created by the U.S. Small Business Administration, is a national competition aimed at unearthing products and services that impact and empower the lives of women and families.

The competition begins with a local round, hosted by The University of Toledo, and ends in a final round with 10 finalists in Washington, D.C. The northwest Ohio regional competition is being held Tuesday, Dec. 1, at UT’s Scott Park Campus.

To compete, register for free at UTInnovateHER.com by noon Friday, Nov. 20. Potential participants will have their documents reviewed and local finalists will be chosen on Wednesday, Nov. 25 to present their pitch to a panel of judges at the local competition Dec. 1.

The judges for the regional event are Scott Weiss, CEO of Ocean Accelerator; Gary Insch, dean of the UT College of Business and Innovation; Amy Hall, president and CEO of Ebony Construction; Linda Parra, president at Nuestra Gente Community Projects, Inc.; and Chris Hill, vice president of business banking at Huntington Bank.

Judges will evaluate each pitch based on whether the product or service has a measurable impact on the lives of women and families, whether it has the potential for commercialization, whether it fills a need in the marketplace, the overall quality of the pitch, and the overall quality of the company’s business plan.

On Wednesday, Dec. 2, the judges will announce the winner, who receives a $1,000 prize for the local contest and a chance to be selected to compete at the national competition.

For more information, call 419.530.3347.

Media Coverage
La Prensa (Nov. 10, 2015)