Coming in the Fall of 2021! Location: Lincoln, NE
It's undeniable; every company has business hurdles they're facing in the workplace every day. Businesses spin their tires to find solutions to these issues, and now, we're asking them to bring those issues to the table for you to solve.
Lincoln is a city full of innovators, designers, developers, entrepreneurs and creatives. Atop that, Lincoln is a city defined by a diverse industry base, and like many communities, we're not always sitting in the same room discussing the challenges we have and potential solutions. That’s what JumpStart Challenge aims to do.
It doesn't matter who you are, or where you're from; all you need is a crazy creative mind, fiery passion and a little courage to join in the JumpStart Challenge. Who knows? Your brilliant idea could change the entire landscape of the industry. How about that for opportunity?
Here's How It Works:
The JumpStart Challenge is split into two events-the kickoff/presentation of the industry problem and the final pitch event. The first event (September 21, 2021) presents the industry problem to a wide-ranging audience, including founders, innovators, designers, developers, students and more. People attending get the opportunity to ask questions of the corporation presenting the industry problem and connect with others to potentially join forces with to tackle the challenge.
The second event (October 7, 2021) sees the teams come back to pitch their solutions. The corporate partner selects a winner based on what they believe is a viable solution to the problem. The winning team receives a $1,000 cash prize from both LPED and Allo, in addition to $5,000 from Calix and a partnership with ALLO or the University of Nebraska Athletics Department to help you understand the industry, open doors and help take your idea to the next level.
Here's How You Can Get Involved:
THE EVENTS | FALL 2021
JumpStart Challenge Kickoff | September 21, 2021 @ 5:30 pm
Jumpstart Challege Pitches - ALLO, 330 S 21st Street, Lincoln, NE
Statup Social - The Mill at Telegraph Patio, 330 S 21st Street, Lincoln, NE
Learn more about the competition, hear the presentation of the challenge by ALLO and the University of Nebraska Athletics Department and socialize with others to help form your potential team.
This event is free to attend, but registration is required here.
JumpStart Challenge Q&A Session with ALLO & the University of Nebraska Athletics Department
ALLO - TBD
University of Nebraska Athletics Q&A with Garrett Klassy & Braly Keller
- September 29, 2021 @ 5 pm via Zoom | Register here to get the link to attend.
Have you started to form your solution, but have more questions for our challenge sponsors? This is your chance to ask those questions and get more insights.
Jumpstart Challenge: Pitch Deck Mini-Workshop with Stacy Carlson
September 28, 2021 @ 5:30 pm
Turbine Flats, 2124 Y Street, Lincoln, NE
The creation of a clear and engaging pitch deck is crucial to effectively conveying your idea to your audience. You need to be able to use your deck to highlight important points of your business idea and to provide the audience with the information they need to understand what your idea is and how it solves the problem at hand. In this mini-workshop, Stacy Carlson, serial entrepreneur and Startup Growth Program Manager with TextExpander, will walk you through how to design a pitch deck for the JumpStart Challenge Pitch Competition.
Participation in this free event is optional, but recommended! Please register here to attend.
Pitch Workshop with Todd Embley | Agora
October 4, 2021 @ 5:30 pm
You've got your pitch together, but now you want to practice and get some feedback? Sign up for this virtual workshop to hone your pitch before the big event!
This virtual workshop will be hosted by Todd Embley, Senior Startup Advocate for Agora.io, the world's #1 real-time engagement platform. Todd is a serial entrepreneur who is well versed in VC, startups, community building and mentorship-based programming for startups at a global level. Todd will be lending his expertise to help you level up your pitches for the JumpStart Challenge.
Participation in this free event is optional, but recommended! Please register here to attend.
Jumpstart Challenge Pitches + Startup Social
October 7, 2021 @ 5:30 pm
Jumpstart Challenge Pitches - ALLO, 330 S 21st Street, Lincoln, NE
Startup Social - The Mill at Telegraph Patio, 330 S 21st Street, Lincoln, NE
ALLO, University of Nebraska Athletics Department and Wild Card Challenge Presentations - teams come back and present their ideas. Following the pitches, the winners will be announced and celebrated at a Startup Social with Invest Nebraska and the Nebraska Angels!
The event is free to attend, but registration is required. Register your team or register to listen to the pitches and attend the Startup Social here.
ALLO Challenge
The ALLO Challenge was officially revealed at the kickoff event on September 21, 2021. Review the challenge here and pitch your idea on October 7 for a chance to win a $7,000 cash prize from ALLO, LPED and Calix, in addition to a partnership with ALLO to help take your brilliant idea to the next level.
UNL Athletics Challenge
The UNL Athletics Challenge was revealed at the kickoff event on September 21, 2021. Review the challenge here and pitch your idea on October 7 for the opportunity to win $1,000 from LPED in addition to a partnership with the University of Nebraska Athletic Department to turn your idea into reality.
Wild Card Challenge
Have a business idea or a business less than six months old? This is your time. Individuals or teams participating in the Wild Card Challenge portion of the pitch competition will have six minutes to pitch their idea/business and four minutes for Q&A with the judges. The Wild Card Challenge will be judged based on viability and opportunity around the idea/industry, and the winner will receive $1,000 and three months of free coworking at FUSE or Turbine Flats.
Questions?
Christina Oldfather | Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development & NMotion
402-436-2374 | coldfather@selectlincoln.org
Partnering Organizations:
Special thanks to our Sponsors:
