Blackstone LaunchPad

IDEATHONS

The Blackstone LaunchPad Ideathon provides students with an opportunity to exercise their creative problem solving skills and win $100!

A new winner every other week! You could be our next winner!

The Ideathon is part of the FSU Innovation Hub’s biweekly Seminole Innovator Lunch Hour and is sponsored by Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship and Blackstone LaunchPad.

FALL 2023

Check out Challenge 5 for December 1st

Our Challenge for December 1st

The final challenge will be an open floor idea pitching forum.  Present an innovative, impactful, and feasible  solution to ANY existing problem. Solutions may include business ideas, physical inventions,  services, systems, apps, etc.

  • Reframe a problem, on or off of campus, to identify an area in which you may have an impact, then develop an innovative solution. 

Sign up to pitch

  • first five registered will have priority to pitch

https://jmc-fsu.startuptree.co/event/s/S6GyeyEFynG5qanjbtwiB6/Blackstone-Launchpad-Ideasthon---Challenge-5

Join FSU Start-up Tree at https://jmc-fsu.startuptree.co/ to find out about more opportunities to pitch and create!

Register to pitch!

Contest Details

Each biweekly Seminole Innovator Lunch Hour closes with an Ideathon. Students develop a solution to the design challenge to pitch at the next lunch hour. One solution per student or student team is presented on a single Google slide (think infographic) and used to support the participant’s three-minute pitch. Entries are judged by the audience based on the perceived impact of the solution on the problem, and the feasibility of implementation! The student or team that presents the most impactful and feasible solution wins $100 and their name engraved on the Ideathon trophy displayed in the Innovation Hub for all eternity. In the case of a tie, judges from the Innovation Hub and/or Jim Moran College will serve to decide the winner.

Note

  • No student may win more than once a semester.

  • Prize money is distributed through the university and may take a few weeks.

Use Design Thinking to Innovate!

Work in a team to leverage more creativity from a variety of perspectives!

Empathize with the people and the problem. Fully understand the problem before working on solutions.

Reframe the problem to narrow the scope to an area of the problem where you can have the biggest impact!

Utilize Ideation techniques that free your brain from bias and allow you to think creatively.

Prototype and test your solution on stakeholders to establish evidence that your solution is effective.

Find out more about Design Thinking at https://innovation.fsu.edu/design

FALL 2023 Challenges and Winners

Challenge 5 - Innovative Idea

  • The final challenge of the semester will be open floor idea pitching. Present an innovative, impactful, and feasible solution to ANY existing problem. Solutions may include business ideas, physical inventions, services, systems, apps, etc.

Pitches will be delivered on December 1st

Innovators and the ideas they pitched:

Challenge 4 - Oceanic Sustainability

  • Given the growing interest in promoting biodiversity and protecting our oceans, how might we encourage people to create and maintain ocean-friendly gardens that support coastal ecosystems and contribute to the health of our seas?

Pitches delivered on November 17th

Seminole Innovators and the ideas they pitched:

  • The $100 Winner - Mahathi Tallapragada

  • Paulo Andre Sollberger

  • Anagrace Bennett

Challenge 3 - Social Connections

  • Given that FSU has a reputation as a party school, how might we embolden students who don’t drink or smoke, to find fun activities with like-minded students, so that they can develop social connections that support their healthy lifestyle and academic success.

Pitches delivered on November 3rd

Seminole Innovators and the ideas they pitched:

  • The $100 Winner - Meadow Manfredini

  • Jahbari Bowen

  • Garrett Robbins

Challenge 2 - Work-Life Balance

  • Given the challenges many students face as they  develop their life of independence away from home, HOW MIGHT WE help students balance their student obligations & personal life interests to maximize the benefits of both?

    • Reframe this HMW to identify areas of the student "work-life balance" in which you might have an impact, then develop an innovative solution. Solutions may include physical inventions, services, systems, apps, etc.

Pitches delivered on October 20

Seminole Innovators and the ideas they pitched:

  • The $100 Winner - Prerna Ravinder

  • Jackson Wilcox

  • Addlai Saint-Jean

  • James Hudson

  • Ahmed Negm

Challenge 1 - Mental Health on Campus

  • Given that over 80 percent of students  struggle with anxiety or depression at some  time in their college life, how might we destigmatize mental health issues and support all students’ mental health?

Pitches delivered on October 6

Innovators and the ideas they pitched:

  • The $100 Winner - Aila Jang

    The Road to Success

  • Arianna Nicolas

    Psyche

  • Prerna Ravinder

    IJA

  • Bria Weisblat

    Free Speech Bus

Past Challenges and Winners

Challenge 5 - Environmentally Conscious & Sustainable Campus

Pitches delivered on April 21

How Might We create a more environmentally conscious, sustainable campus?

Reframe this HMW to identify an area of the campus environment on which you might have an impact, then develop an innovative solution. Solutions may include physical inventions, services, systems, or apps. FSU’s Sustainable Campus program is a great place to start your research.

Seminole Innovators and the ideas they pitched:

  • The $100 Winner - Tiana Rivera

    Dissect Tech

  • Anagrace Bennett

    College Closet

  • Bria Weisblat

    Sustainable Affinity Groups

  • Ryan Sampey

    Trash Week

  • Daniel Siegal

    Description goes here

Challenge 4 - Social Media Alternatives

Pitches delivered on April 7

Given that many are concerned over the effect social media has on the emotional health of those that overuse it.

How Might We develop alternatives to social media use for FSU students that provide all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. 

Seminole Innovators and the ideas they pitched:

  • The $100 Winner - Jake Scally

    FSULink

  • Ryan Sampey

    Disillusionment

  • Stefano Sanidas

    Literally a Park

  • Mary-Louise Parkkila

    Birds of Play

Challenge 3 - Parking on Campus

Pitches delivered on March 24

Consider transportation on campus and the frustrations that arise surrounding parking.

HOW MIGHT WE assist FSU commuters and residential students satisfy their transportation needs more economically and efficiently and eliminate complaints about parking without adding any more parking spaces?

Seminole Innovators and the ideas they pitched:

  • The $100 Winner - Blake Thompson

    CausingARukus

  • Ryan Sampey

    Base Load Adjustment

  • Adam Stiefel

  • Sebastian Garces

Challenge 2 - Bridging Divides

Pitches delivered on February 24,

Consider the diversity of backgrounds and beliefs on campus.

HOW MIGHT WE increase respect, tolerance, and empathy between varying and sometimes opposing viewpoints on campus?

Seminole Innovators and the ideas they pitched:

  • The $100 Winner - Adriana Nguyen - Humans of FSU

    Finding the Space Between

  • Amy Erickson

    The Unity Project

  • Natalie Lusk

    Mediation

  • Nakayla Placide

    Gaging Student Sense of Belonging at FSU

  • Ryan Sampey

    News Face

  • Deonte Clarke

    Storytelling: A Social Change Initiative

Challenge 1 - College Transitions

Pitches delivered Jan 27, 2023

Consider the stress of college life - moving to a new town, attending a new school, transitioning to independent adulthood, deciding on a major, finding and getting into the right courses, making friends, managing time, addressing the demands of school work and social life, financial concern, finding a job…

How might we help students manage the stress of college life, and maintain optimal mental health throughout their college experience and into their professional life!

Seminole Innovators and the ideas they pitched:

  • The $100 Winner - Rose Walters

    Solution: Campus Chow

  • Shelby Walker

    Solution: Simpli Student

  • Lauryn Fox

    Solution: Pocket Advising

  • Ryan Sampey

    Cognitive Function Problem Solving

  • Rachel Anderson

    Millionaire Mondays  

Challenge 0 - the pilot

Sep 23, 2022

How might we assist walking students and wheeled students (riding bikes, boards, and scooters) cross campus more safely, avoiding pedestrian collisions, so that we can all get to class as quickly and safely as possible.

Winners:

  1. Jaya Prakash - smart signage along walkways that alert pedestrians when a fast moving wheeled vehicle is approaching

  2. Austin Kidd - FSU Drivers License (Passes) for bikes, boards, and scooters

  3. Jaya and Austin - Widen sidewalks and add bike lanes