Get ready to Innovate
By CM Wahl | News editor
The Innovate 2024 event will be taking place on Mar. 28 at 8 a.m. in the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, located on Grace Hopper Lane in Augusta. The annual pitch competition is a 5-minute platform for undergraduate and graduate teams to pitch ideas which address local challenges and aim to improve our community.
“At the heart of our mission,” said Director of Innovation Lynsey Steinberg, “is a commitment to collaborate and innovate.”
Seventeen teams, 11 of which are at the undergraduate level, will be presenting their original ideas. Winners can take home up to $5,000, plus a provisional patent for free, if applicable, and a free trial of CofounderOS software. There will also be a $1,000 Audience Choice Award available.
The judges for this year's competition are no strangers to innovation.
Allan Soto, founder and managing partner of Vinea Capital, established Soto ALG group homes and daycare centers for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Determined to help those with special needs, Soto eventually developed the idea for ABLE Kids to provide therapy for young children with autism spectrum disorder.
Christian N. Ndeti, an innovation specialist in the VA Augusta healthcare system, has worked with veterans in therapeutic programs designed to help with mental health ailments such as Alzheimer’s and PTSD. Ndeti was one of the first recreation therapists in the VA system to introduce a protocol using an Apple tablet for geriatric engagement.
Jack W. Evans, the director of organizational change management and strategic initiatives here at Augusta University, has supported multiple projects and initiatives that focused on process improvement and capability enhancement. Evans has served on teams that led significant change, including the university’s consolidation and the recent health system merger.
There will also be guest speakers who address the subjects of design thinking, business development, protecting ideas, and pitching how-to’s.
“We believe that by coming together and thinking creatively,” said Steinberg, “we can solve problems and find new and better ways to serve our community while creating positive impact.”
Contact CM Wahl at cwahl@augusta.edu.
