We’re excited to share that we recently held our FIRST Virtual 3 Day Startup (3DS) Event @iSPI/UIS on September 18, 19, and 20, 2020. The 3DS program is designed to engage and connect university students to experiential learning opportunities in entrepreneurship and innovation over the course of a three day startup weekend. The intended outcomes align with Innovate Springfield’s Strategic Compass goal to support students in pursuing and achieving their personal goals and to provide robust training, and other strong supports to student members of iSPI's business incubation program. 3DS served as a rich and vibrant virtual experience for those who participated.
The 3DS program is an immersive progression through the initial stages of the startup process. The event is facilitated by experts from 3DS and provides the opportunity for students to network with and receive feedback from experienced entrepreneurs from around the world. Over the course of 3 days, participants are guided through idea generation, customer discovery, rapid prototyping, and crafting and delivering pitches. These activities come together to present a microcosm of startup life, with the highs of discovering untapped markets and the lows of discovering better-positioned competitors.
The iSPI 3DS event included 14 students from UIS, Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, IL, and Mumbai University in Mumbai, India. The participants all pitched their individual concepts on day one, and teams were formed around the four leading ideas. Learn more about the four concepts below, and be on the lookout for even more great startup ideas from the 3DS @iSPI Alumni.
PLATE BEACON - Helping the restaurant industry get back on its feet while also helping to fight local hunger.
Connecting restaurants with nonprofits in the Chicago-area to address the imbalance in the food ecosystem, reducing both food insecurity and food waste. Plate Beacon will offer lower commission delivery rates to restaurants in exchange for excess ingredients, with donation deliveries to food banks being funded by food deliveries to consumers.
GET IN LINE - Avoid in-person crowding and keep staff and customers safe!
Get In Line is a web-based application that allows users to reserve their spot in line anywhere they go. Take back your time, maximize your productivity, and never stand in line again. Get In Line is free to users and costs a mere 22% per transaction to venues, allowing for an increase in the venue's the volume of sales, while dually managing crowds.
THE RELATIONSHIP HELP APP - When you're tired of dating around.
A hybrid solution to online dating apps, the Relationship Help App provides community-based coaching and counseling services combined with personalized matchmaking to promote meaningful and healthy relationships. Using research-based assessments, users will be matched based on their attachment styles, interests, and psychological drivers.
What did you LOVE the most about the 3DS experience?
Being forced to think about my project from the perspective of pitching it.
The fast paced environment and collaboration with different people from different backgrounds bringing varied opinions and ideas.
The exposure to the entrepreneur mindset and workflow. Learning how to craft a pitch and how to test the market, it was all very valuable information.
Diverse participants, leaders, mentors, and panelists with different areas of expertise who were all encouraging and generous with their knowledge and skills.
Special thanks to our 3DS event sponsor, CEFCU. We couldn’t have created this kind of impact without their support!
Remember that university students with a startup idea can receive FREE membership with Innovate Springfield including all of the community resources.