UH BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION CHALLENGE

Individuals or team leaders must complete the online registration form and consent to the confidentiality and participation agreements by the registration deadline.

All submissions must be factual, entirely new innovations, and the original work of the entrants.

PRELIMINARY ROUND: VIDEO ENTRY

Produce a 2-minute video describing the innovation and how it may solve a problem in the world. See judging criteria. All qualifying video submissions will be viewed and ranked by a preliminary judging panel.

• Video must not be longer than 2 minutes. If the video is over 2 minutes, the entry will be automatically disqualified.

• State name of idea.

• Do not state team members’ names.

• Presentation must be done as a verbal explanation. Visual aids are not necessary but may be used to enhance the presentation.

Upload video to YouTube and submit a link to your video using the Video Entry Form. Videos must be smaller than 20GB in size and in a supported YouTube file format.

1. Click the ‘Upload’ link at the top of any YouTube page.

2. Click the ‘Browse’ button to browse for the video file you’d like to upload.

3. Select the file you want to upload.

4. Click the ‘Upload Video’ button to start the uploading process.

5. Change your privacy settings to “Unlisted” (anyone with the link can view).

6. Click the ‘Save changes’ button to save the updates you’ve made to the video file.

7. Submit your entry by completing this online form.

The best video entries will be announced online. Finalists will be paired with a business mentor to help prepare for the live pitch. Finalists who present at the final event will have the chance to receive a cash award.

FINAL ROUND: LIVE PITCH

Finalists will give a pitch of their business idea to a judging panel and live audience. PACE strongly encourages participants to align their presentation to the Judging Criteria. All members of a team must be present for the final presentation. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session with the judges. The judging panel may be comprised of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, angel investors, and other professionals. The judges will score each presentation, following Q&A.

Video Entry Judging Criteria:

The UH Breakthrough Innovation Challenge aims to recognize new business ideas.
Your video should:

1. Describe the innovation.

2. Address the problem the innovation solves.

3. Explain how the innovation is a breakthrough from the status quo. What makes it better than anything else that’s currently in the space?

Live Pitch Judging Criteria:

• The Idea (60%): Describe a problem in this world and how the innovation helps to solve the problem. How is the innovation a breakthrough from the status quo?

• The Market (20%): The most innovative ideas will sit on the shelf, if nobody wants to buy it. Identify a specific group of people who are potential customers (target market) and illustrate the size of the market. More importantly, provide evidence for the desire and need for the innovation.

• The Competition (20%): Business ideas that have big potential will likely have existing competitors in the same market. Identify potential direct and indirect competitors, and explain what sets the business idea apart (better, faster, stronger) from its competition.

Contestants are strongly encouraged to view Entrepreneurs’ Bootcamps 1A and 1B.

• The University of Hawai‘i Honor Code applies to all participants of any PACE activity. While every effort will be made to preserve the confidentiality of each submission, it is suggested that highly sensitive material be excluded from the entry if a team is concerned about the confidentiality of such material. Note, however, that teams will be making final presentations to an open audience. Of course, technical drawings and formulae need not be shown at this presentation, or even included in the video.

• The University of Hawai‘i and the organizers of the challenge cannot take further responsibility to protect the intellectual property or other rights of the competitors. Protection of such rights is ultimately the responsibility of each competitor. Competitors are urged to mark as “CONFIDENTIAL” any portion of their entries, which they consider to be confidential. The organizers, judges, and other affiliates of the Challenge will NOT enter into non-disclosure agreements with entering teams.

All team members must be present for the live pitch round and the awards reception or risk forfeiture of prize. Prize money will be disbursed in accordance with university policies. All federal and state taxes are the responsibility of the winners.