Indianapolis, In. — Over the next two weeks, Indiana high school students will pitch their innovative ideas during the second round of the 2019 Innovate WithIN™ pitch competition, a statewide initiative hosted by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indiana Department of Education and Ball State University. New to this year’s program, middle school students will also participate in innovation-focused workshops at the regional competitions, fostering the students’ entrepreneurial and critical-thinking skills while introducing them to real-world business concepts.
After submitting video pitches for the first round of the competition, more than 65 teams were selected to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, which include local and regional economic development partners, entrepreneurs, academics and company executives. Overall, Innovate WithIN™ drew 158 online pitch submissions this year – a 83 percent increase in applications from 2018 – from 422 Hoosier students representing 88 high schools across the state. Additionally, more than 235 middle school students registered for the program’s new ideation sessions.
The finalists from each region will be invited to Indianapolis for the final round of the competition on April 4.
Regional Competition Schedule:
Monday, March 4: Region One (Southwest Indiana)
- Middle School Ideation Session – 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Pitch Competition – 2:15 to 4 p.m.
- Westgate Academy, 13598 E. WestGate Dr., Odon
Tuesday, March 5: Region Two (Southeast Indiana)
- Middle School Ideation Session – 10 a.m. to noon
- Pitch Competition – 1:30 to 4 p.m.
- Mid-America Science Park, 821 S. Lake Road S., Scottsburg
Thursday, March 7: Region Six (Northwest Indiana)
- Middle School Ideation Session – 10 a.m. to noon (CST)
- Pitch Competition – 1:30 to 4 p.m. (CST)
- Purdue University Northwest, 2200 169th St., Hammond
Friday, March 8: Region Seven (North Central Indiana)
- Middle School Ideation Session – 10 a.m. to noon
- Pitch Competition – 1:30 to 4 p.m.
- Christo’s Banquet Center, 830 Lincoln Highway E., Plymouth
Monday, March 11: Region Nine (Central Indiana)
- Middle School Ideation Session – 10 a.m. to noon
- Pitch Competition – 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
- Ivy Tech Indianapolis, 2820 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis
Tuesday, March 12: Region Eight (Northeast Indiana)
- Middle School Ideation Session – 10 a.m. to noon
- Pitch Competition – 1:30 to 4 p.m.
- The Summit, 1025 W. Rudisill Blvd., Fort Wayne
Wednesday, March 13: Region Five (West Central Indiana – Lafayette)
- Middle School Ideation Session – 10 a.m. to noon
- Pitch Competition – 1:30 to 4 p.m.
- Ivy Tech Lafayette, 3101 S. Creasy Lane, Lafayette
Thursday, March 14: Region Three (West Central Indiana – Terre Haute)
- Middle School Ideation Session – 10 a.m. to noon
- Pitch Competition – 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
- Ivy Tech Terre Haute, 8000 S. Education Dr., Terre Haute
Friday, March 15: Region Four (East Central Indiana)
- Middle School Ideation Session – 10 a.m. to noon
- Pitch Competition – 1:30 to 4 p.m.
- Ball State University Alumni Center, 2800 Bethel Ave., Muncie
