Oregon Tech’s Catalyze Challenge has awarded $100,000 in prize money and services since it began in 2015. The competition continues this year with a prize pool of $18,000.
Nine teams are currently registered to compete in Catalyze 2024.
The Catalyze Challenge is a student competition that supports innovative business ideas and fledgling entrepreneurial activity that produces a new idea, product, or service that could become a thriving business in Klamath Falls and has the potential for job growth in rural Oregon. The competition fosters project development, design, and communication skills, while boosting public understanding of the talent pipeline available at Oregon Tech and encouraging student engagement with the community.
Competitors first presented their innovative and entrepreneurial concepts at a SharkTech Venture Pitch contest in March. Teams who successfully navigated the contest will present their concepts to a panel of judges at the Catalyze Challenge on April 24 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The nine registered teams are as follows:
• Ancile Systems: Carter Stewart, Mechanical Engineering, and Emmett Allen, Mechanical Engineering
• Battery-Operated Branding Iron: Ben Goodwin, Mechanical Engineering; Risa Thompson, Business; and Taveon Malnack, Electrical Engineering
• Fair Play Challenge: Grant Kightlinger, Marketing, and Molly Grace, Marketing
• Kekoa Kustoms: Cody Dubray, Mechanical Engineering
• Oregon Dynamics: Fletcher Stults, Mechanical Engineering, and Graeme Wiltrout, Electrical Engineering
• Re-Inspire Motivation: Dirk Smelser, Business, and Daniel Stockton, Mechanical Engineering
• Sexual Assault Support (SASS): Cameron Viernes, Information Technology
• Second-Life PV Controller: Adama Toure, Renewable Energy Engineering
• The Legacy Project: Brenna Morgan, Business
The 2024 event is made possible through generous sponsorship and donations from Avista, the City of Klamath Falls, Cypress Creek Renewables, Klamath County, Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA), Klamath IDEA Center for Entrepreneurship, Oregon Small Business Development Center, Sky Lakes Office of Strategy & Innovation, VertueLab, and the Wendt Family Foundation.
Support is also provided by InventOR, which will award two teams with a total of $4,000 to progress to the statewide InventOR competition.
If you are interested in sponsoring or mentoring a team, sharing expertise with students, or serving in an advisory capacity, please contact Catalyze Coordinator Hallie Neupert at hallie.neupert@oit.edu.
For more information and competition guidelines, go to www.oit.edu/catalyze.
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