On Saturday, November 19^th, innovators, entrepreneurs and judges gathered in Reynolda Hall’s Innovation Station for the annual Inspiration to Innovation (i2i) Competition, an event that culminates a passionate expression of unique and creative thought. This competition inspired students and innovators, alike, to come together under a multitude of mash-ups involving nature, science, the arts, and business. The contestants were encouraged to combine and design, and were then further challenged in discovering ways to apply the combination of these concepts to opportunities from different perspectives and contexts.

First place was awarded to serial entrepreneur and Wake Forest senior Joe Sciarrino and his presentation of Gyro Solutions, an ingenious way to harness the force of the earth’s rotation to create a renewable energy source using both a gyroscope and a system of years. The gyroscope would, in turn, drive some type of energy generator.

Second place was awarded to Wake law student Katelyn Kimber with her presentation of Real.Smart.Girl, an idea based on an experience that she had going into law school, in which she attended a type of ‘boot camp’ that helped her better grasp the tools of becoming a successful law student. She presented borrowing this idea and applying it to high school girls who are preparing for college through a week long educational program

Third place was awarded to Dustin Dunham and Bill Kast, both Master of Arts in Management graduate students, with their presentation of Deal Ninja. Both Dustin and Bill presented an application that would operate off of a partnership with different restaurants. They proposed an app in which one can indicate the type of food that they want. Restaurants would then be given the opportunity to purchase either a 1 mile, 5 mile, or 50 mile radius, as a way to advertise their businesses in specified ‘zones’ where people could locate restaurants that served their favorite foods based on their preferences, as customized in the app. In the future, they hope to expand on other aspects, besides restaurants and food. that offers both helpful learning tools and support. Those involved in the program would remain members of Real.Smart.Girl throughout their college years as a networking tool in order to help them become more successful.  

Mariama Holman was also awarded Honorable Mention with her presentation of Community Caricatures, with her venture based on the concept of Highlights Magazine. Hispanic children are often at a disadvantage at school because all of their school materials are in English. Often times, their parents aren’t bilingual, so they have no way of helping their child with their school work at home. Mariama is proposing to develop a dual language magazine based on school curriculum with different articles and activities that can be completed by the parent and child together, fostering a better understanding of the English language in a more positive learning experience. She plans on piloting this idea at Old Town Elementary School, here, in Winston-Salem.

Warm congratulations to all of our winners who will now go on to compete internationally in the Elevator Competition, hosted by WFUSB in the spring. Best of luck to you all!