Manufacturers notice growing KC inventor contest
September 10, 2015 | Ashley Jost
You have 48 hours to make a product.
And if you beat the competition for creativity, function and originality, you leave with $6,000.
No pressure.
Make48 is back in October with the group’s second inventor competition, incentivizing creativity and grit. Tom Gray, co-founder of Make48, said the group’s competition this Oct. 2 – 4 brings 21 teams of inventors from 10 different states.
And this year’s finalists receive an added bonus in addition to cash: face time with manufacturers.
“Another big benefit to the event finalists is four to five large manufacturers in the (competition’s theme industry) are going to be looking at the top three winners with intention of possibly licensing their inventions,” Gray said. “They’re well-known, but we’re keeping them a secret. And they’re not just American-based companies.”
This round’s 21 teams are up from 13 teams during the inaugural April competition. The theme for the competition was ‘kitchen,’ and the winning company created a product that prevents utensils from falling off of a plate during dinner conversation. The theme for October competition is being kept a secret until just before it begins, Gray said.
Make48 will be held Oct. 2 – 4, at Union Station, and tickets cost $129. For more information, click here.
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Randy Wasinger wanted the 1952 Topps of NFTs; so the lifelong baseball card collector started coding (and Mark Cuban came calling)
Editor’s note: The following includes excerpts from “The Corporate Couch” podcast as part of a collaboration between host Jeff Pelaccio and Startland News to highlight Web3 companies and founders in the space. The 15-year-old boy within Randy Wasinger — so obsessed with baseball cards that he opened a card shop in downtown Russell, Kansas, to sell…
Kansas legislation banning DeepSeek passes to state Senate after swell of support in House
Editor’s note: This article was written for a class at the University of Kansas’ William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications and distributed through the Kansas Press Association. TOPEKA — A bill seeking to ban DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence chatbot, from state devices has advanced in the Kansas Legislature. HB 2313 passed…
Transportant picked a lane; now the Lenexa bus tech startup wants to conquer even more of the road
From the driver’s seat, Martin Staples is steering Lenexa-based Transportant toward rapid growth with its real-time, tech-driven approach, he said, bringing greater safety, communication, and efficiency to school buses and expanding the startup’s reach beyond its Midwest home region. Fueling Transportant’s plans to leave coast-to-coast tracks — and beyond — will be key, said Staples, who…
Pitch winners step into spotlight as PHKC helps emerging small biz owners shine on stage (Photos)
Jacquinta Nelson stood before a packed crowd at The Porter House KC’s Pitch Night this week, sharing her vision for S.T.E.P. Movement, a community-based step team designed to uplift young girls. Moments later, she was awarded a $4,000 grand prize. The recognition was deeply personal for Nelson, who is dedicated to mentoring youth to be…