Call for Entrepreneurs: $5000 Ignite! 2013 Ideas Contest Announced by EngenuitySC and Wells Fargo Bank
September 11, 2013
Deadline October 24
COLUMBIA, SC – September 11, 2013 – EngenuitySC and Wells Fargo Bank announce the $5000 Ignite! 2013 Ideas Contest, a public competition open to individuals and organizations with ideas about how to start something new, novel and innovative in the Greater Columbia, S.C. area. Entry deadline is Oct. 24, 2013 at http://www.engenuitysc.com/ignite/i-have-idea.
All start-ups, small business owners, social entrepreneurs, savvy students, big thinkers and go-getters are encouraged to enter to win a $5,000 prize from Wells Fargo Bank.
Individuals or organizations can enter the contest by submitting a short, informal video clip on the EngenuitySC website. Ideas should be well thought out, exciting and represent a chance to use $5000 to create a new product or solve a problem through a novel business solution. The challenge: to tell why your solution is new, unique, novel and scalable.
At Wells Fargo, we recognize the importance of the entrepreneur in the growth of our region’s economy, said Holt Chetwood, EngenuitySC Executive Committee Member and Midlands Market President for Wells Fargo. As America’s community bank, we are committed to supporting our local businesses by sponsoring great initiatives like the Ignite! Ideas Contest.
To enter the Ignite! 2013 Ideas Contest, contestants should record a two-minute video describing their concept, then fill out the short entry form at http://www.engenuitysc.com/ignite/i-have-idea. Videos can range in production quality from cameraphone to HD; what matters is the quality of the idea. Submissions close at 11:20 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2013.
In 2011, Jim Stritzinger, founder of EnduringFX, took home the $5000 startup money, courtesy of Wells Fargo and EngenuitySC, to help fund his new venture. In 2012, Will Bryan of Public Works of HeART took home the prize.
George Hutton, Executive Director of EngenuitySC, Holt Chetwood, Midlands Market Manager of Wells Fargo Bank, and Will Bryan of Public Works of HeART, the Ignite! 2012 Ideas Contest winner
Winning the Ignite! Ideas Contest helped kickstart Public Works of HeART in an amazing way, notes Bryan. The contest has created many opportunities and the $5,000 prize money really helped us get off the ground running. It’s such a great opportunity for anyone in Columbia with the next great idea!
Finalists will present to judges the week of Nov. 4, 2013. By November 11, the judges will pick the top three finalists, who will present for live audience voting at the Ignite! 2013 knowledge economy celebration on Nov. 20, 2013 at The Zone at Williams Brice Stadium, 5:15-8:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.engenuitysc.com/ignite.
Ignite! is the region’s annual celebration of the Midlands’ knowledge economy. The event, which sold out in 2011 and 2012, is hosted by economic development organization EngenuitySC to bring together new media, technology and business leaders, as well as researchers, students and entrepreneurs to celebrate the Midlands’ exciting culture of innovation, growth and job creation.
Ticketholders partake in a networking cocktail hour with open bar and a full array of heavy hors d’oeuvres by high-quality local chefs, with a high-energy audience voting session, banquet seating, and short keynote presentations by innovators who are moving Columbia forward. After the event, speakers, contestants, community leaders, young professionals, arts mavericks and the general public will gather for a free, informal afterparty at Social Bar and Lounge in the Vista.
Major sponsorship of Ignite! 2013 is provided by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and Wells Fargo Bank. More details including full speaker roster will be announced at http://www.engenuitysc.com/ignite.
Stay on top of Ignite! 2013 updates by following the #IgniteCAE hashtag and @EngenuitySC on Twitter or via Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/engenuitysc.
About EngenuitySC
Headquartered in Columbia, EngenuitySC is a public/private partnership formed to develop and grow the South Carolina Midlands’ knowledge-based economy by fostering an environment where entrepreneurship, innovation, and the creation of knowledge are fundamental elements of the region’s culture, identity, and economic development strategy. Through collaboration with business, government, and higher education, EngenuitySC leads initiatives that support research development, promote commercialization, and leverage the region’s assets. For more information, visit http://www.engenuitysc.com.
Contact: Tracie Broom, Flock and Rally, 415.235.5718, tracie@flockandrally.com
Debi Schadel, Flock and Rally, 803.348.8861, debi@flockandrally.com
