News: Innovation Challenge - CSUSB Competes for $20K in Cash Prizes! - Tue, March 20, 2018

The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at Cal State San Bernardino announces the kick off of the 2nd annual 2018 CSUSB Innovation Challenge. This all-inclusive community competition gives students, staff, faculty, and alumni at CSUSB the opportunity to team up, bring new solutions to real world problems, sharpen ideas, and compete for $20K in cash prizes at the main event.

On May 23rd, the main event will feature a panel of select judges to determine the winners of the Innovation Challenge from a pool of select teams. Attendance is free, hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served. As a prelude to the main event, two Open Pitch nights on April 10th-11th will take place in the CSUSB SMSU Bay Lounge area, where participates can network, join a team, shop ideas, and officially enter their Intent to compete form. April 30th is the Intent to Complete Deadline to join the competition before the main event. Open House events with free refreshments will be stationed throughout campus in the beginning of April.

Born from the desire to unite the departments and colleges of the Cal State San Bernardino campus; the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship created the Innovation Challenge. The competing criteria requires teams to have a minimum of two members representing two different colleges or divisions, with one of them being a CSUSB student. The goal and focus of the Innovation Challenge is to pull the CSUSB community together to generate ideas and solve economic and social problems together. As the first CSUSB event competition that the entire campus community can be involved in, IECE looks forward to awarding $20,000 in cash prizes to the ideas that may someday change the world. To learn how you can jump in and get involved visit entre.csusb.edu and join us for Open Pitch, April 10th or 11th.

Established in 1999, IECE is the result of several years of planning, curriculum development, and partnership building by members of the faculty and administration in the College of Business and Public Administration. IECE was established with initial funding from the University and a matching-funds grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. At the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE), the mission is to advance the study and practice of entrepreneurship at the University and in the business community. IECE seeks to instill the entrepreneurial spirit in students and provides them with the practical skills, experience, and preparation to take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities in a wide variety of environments (from emerging business to larger corporations). IECE meets the needs of small businesses and entrepreneurs in the community by offering business consulting services, student internship resources, and entrepreneurial training programs that will help them achieve greater levels of success in their business ventures.

California State University, San Bernardino, with an enrollment of more than 16,000, is one of 23 campuses in the California State University, the largest higher education system in the country. Cal State San Bernardino is the sole public, comprehensive, regional university serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties, one of the fastest growing regions in California.

For more information contact

Stacey Allis Assistant Director, Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) (909) 537-3217 stacey.allis@csusb.edu

Michael Stull Director, Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) (909) 537-3708 mstull@csusb.edu