Manufacturers notice growing KC inventor contest

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.