The business plan competition is open to all student teams at all colleges and universities in North Dakota, and student teams at other colleges and universities in the United States and Canadian provinces. The first 20 qualifying teams will present their business plans to judges on April 13th and 14th in Grand Forks, ND.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three teams and we will also award prizes for the “Best Elevator Pitch”, “Most Improved” and “Most Innovative Idea” separate from the business plan competition.

The Center for Innovation in Grand Forks has offered an Incubation Services prize valued at $4,800. The term of the Incubation Services shall begin on April 15^th, 2012 and continue until April 15^th, 2013 unless either party terminates the License Agreement prior to that date.   The award has no cash value and is non-transferable. 

In addition to the attached registration forms, more event and prize details are available here.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at challenge@business.und.edu or by phone at 701-777-4916 if you have any additional questions.

Please join us for what promises to be a fun and exciting event!

Tanner Pruess
Graduate Assistant
University of North Dakota
College of Business & Public Administration
Department of Entrepreneurship

Bornsen is a Partner of the firm Duft Bornsen & Fishman, LLP in Boulder, CO and is a registered patent attorney with over eleven years of experience in patent law. Brett handles various intellectual property matters including patent preparation and prosecution, patent opinions, patent analysis, and litigation support. His technical specialties include:

•              Communication networks, including IMS and LTE networks

•              Wireless systems, including network architectures, base stations, and mobile devices

•              Data storage systems, including magnetic read/write heads and perpendicular magnetic recording media

•              Printing systems and print controllers

•              Depaneling systems for printed circuit boards Consumer electronics

•              Agricultural equipment

 Bornsen earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Dakota in 1999 and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Dakota State University in 1996.

 About The Entrepreneur Forum:

The Entrepreneur Forum is a series of speakers hosted by the Center for Innovation to provide inspiring speakers, networking opportunities, and educational speakers for the community.  The Center for Innovation hosts 10 forums per year.

 About the UND Center for Innovation:

The Center for Innovation at the University of North Dakota provides assistance to innovators, entrepreneurs, and researchers to launch new ventures, commercialize new technologies, and secure access to capital from private and public sources.

 Useful links:

Duft Bornsen & Fishman, LLP www.dbflaw.com/

UND Center for Innovation www.innovators.net

 Contact:

Ryan Mayer

UND Center for Innovation

(701) 777-3132

ryan@innovators.net

This week, get to know the folks at the UND Center for Innovation and learn about what type of assistance they can offer to Innovate ND participants. Here is a message from the Center for Innovation’s Eric, Katie, Rodrigo and Bruce:

The Entrepreneurial Mindset

Today we will look at how entrepreneurs develop the motivation and intention to pursue their opportunities. We know about about ideas and the power they have to become entrepreneurial opportunities when the idea has the ability to provide a clear consumer utility.  And about the transition that must occur for that opportunity to successfully enter the marketplace through a carefully constructed transaction. It seems like if you can get those elements sorted out, by having an idea with utility and a consumer that wants to transact with you — then why wouldn’t you go pursue this entrepreneurial opportunity? Why? It’s the call of the unknown. What you need to calm these fears is an ever-alert entrepreneurial mindset. Entrepreneurship is the process of creating value by bringing together a unique set of resources to pursue an opportunity. Entrepreneurship is a way of thinking that emphases opportunities over threats. The biggest threat to the entrepreneur…the unknown future. The entrepreneurial mindset is one of intentions. What do you intend to do with your idea in order to succeed in an unpredictable world? The key is deciding if the marketplace cues are accurate and whether the perceived opportunity is real. Remember our call to action? Carpe Facultas…seize the opportunity.

This week, get to know the IDEA Center folks and learn about what type of assistance they can offer to Innovate ND participants. Here is a message from the IDEA Center’s Ellyn Rost, Julie Kuennen and Jill Castleberry:

The IDEA Center is an Incubator for Developing Entrepreneurial Activity, which serves as a supportive community to nurture ideas into reality and generate results.  The IDEA Center is established on a multi-pronged development approach focused on the community, students and entrepreneurs.   The Center was founded in 2007 to provide service to two underserved areas identified by the community; a development lab for students and entrepreneurial support efforts.  We are currently located at 2720 E Broadway in Bismarck and we eagerly await the opening of the new satellite location in Jamestown.

Entrepreneurs and students from all stages in life work closely with IDEA Center staff and experienced business professionals from the community known as the IDEA Center’s Board of Mentors, to further build their skills and advance their path to commercialization. The exchange of ideas between the experienced and non-experienced instills a non-stigmatizing way of thinking for our community.

It is through various development mechanisms that the IDEA Center assists the entrepreneurs in helping to bring products and services to market.  The shared service model within the Center has been designed to assist entrepreneurs by strengthening areas of weakness.  Shared services offered include but are limited to:  planning in marketing, operations and financials, bookkeeping, budgeting, fiscal reviews, office facility, shared space and facilitation.   If the entrepreneur poses a particular challenge, the staff at the Center pulls together resources to develop a plan of attack. The Innovate ND process has proven successful for many entrepreneurs that the IDEA Center works with. This process not only assists in developing a solid plan for moving the venture forward, but is also an accountability measure, ensuring the entrepreneur meets deadlines. 

For more information or if you are interested in getting involved with the IDEA Center, please contact us at 701.250.2198!

Blog Archieve: 2010 Winner’s Product to be Showcased on Good Morning America

 The GMA exclusive deal featured were personlized dog products as a reduced rate Dec. 8-11 and free standard shipping.

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 These stylish and practical collars are personalized with a lifetime guarantee on engraving to ensure your pup can always be traced back to you, the loving owner. The collars are all made in the USA. Great holiday gift for all of your four-legged friends. Free standard shipping!

Congrats to DogIDs.com from the Innovate ND team!

Myriad Devices was a 2011 Innovate ND top 20 finalist as well as the In the Zone winner with the EZ-Ad App. That award is sponsored by the Kilbourne Group.

FOX NEWS Video!

 Top Ten on the iTunes App Store in Education!

WDAY Interview 

MSNBC

 NewsWise  

KFGO 

Silo Breaker  

MPR

Congrats to Myriad Devices from all of us at Innovate ND!

Brandi and the Innovate ND team

This week, get to know the BSC Office of Innovation folks and learn about what type of assistance they can offer to Innovate ND participants. Here is a message from BSC’s Carla Hixon and Sue Hartley:

Congratulations on accomplishing the first phase in the competition through Innovate ND!  Over the next several months you may find yourself facing some difficult business decisions and not knowing quite how to find a solution.  That is when having the skill of creative problem solving becomes a valuable tool in your innovative toolbox. 

The creative problem solving process is based on collecting lots of ideas (diverging) and then choosing only the best of those ideas (converging).  This is done in various steps, allowing you to make the best possible decision for any situation you may face.  A brief overview of the steps are: 

• IDENTIFY GOAL, WISH, OR CHALLENGE
• GATHER DATA
• THE PROBLEM
• GENERATE IDEAS
• SELECT AND STRENGTHEN A SOLUTION
• DEVELOP A PLAN OF ACTION

Because ideas are generated during each phase, considered, and only the best ones chosen, you have more creative ideas.  Depending on the situation a creative problem solving session can range from a couple of hours to possibly a full day.  You are not in it alone, though – Bismarck State College’s Office of Innovation is available to help you tackle problems you may encounter along the way in a new and creative way. 

If we can assist you in this area please contact us at:  (701) 224-2531 or susan.hartley@bismarckstate.edu.

Carla and Sue

Follow BSC Office of Innovation on Twitter.

Like the BSC Office of Innovation Facebook fan page.

Innovate ND is a statewide venture-building program that offers people with business ideas access to online entrepreneur education, business planning tools, and coaching and mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and proven business owners.

The top 20 entries will get the chance to pitch their business idea to a panel of potential investors. Five $15,000 cash prizes will be awarded as well as prizes in each of the five competition categories, the people’s choice award, a wide variety of business services and potential seed capital investments to launch their businesses.

“The Innovate ND program has been instrumental in the development of more than 125 businesses and we are excited to see what innovative ideas will emerge as the next, best businesses in North Dakota,” Al Anderson, Commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Commerce, said. “Participants from every corner of North Dakota will get nearly eight months of assistance from the best resources our state offers, our entrepreneurial centers.”

Individuals and teams applied from all parts of North Dakota including 18 ideas from the northeast region of the state, eight from northwest, 19 from the southeast and 18 from southwest. Three ideas were submitted from Minnesota and one from New York state. Current and former North Dakotans and entrepreneurs who have an interest in relocating to North Dakota were eligible to enroll.

New this year, teams were asked to enrolled in one of five categories of competition which included 31energy/technology-based ideas, nine retail-based ideas, eight value-added ag/advanced manufacturing ideas, 13 women/ minorities/rural entrepreneurship ideas and six youth entrepreneurship ideas.

Participants are now in the process of developing more detailed idea plans, which are due Feb. 6. From there, judges will narrow the field to between 20 to 30 teams. Those teams will prepare the final business plans, financial statements and presentations which are due April 23. Those teams will receive additional technical assistance and have access to practice sessions to help them prepare for their final presentations in front of judges on May 22. The awards banquet and announcement of winners is scheduled for May 22.

Nearly 600 participants and 400 teams have enrolled in the competition since 2006. Approximately 125 new businesses are operational or in the development stage as a result of the program.

The program is organized by the North Dakota Department of Commerce, the UND Center for Innovation and the NDSU Research and Technology Park.

Partner programs include DSU Strom Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Southern Valley Innovation Center in Wahpeton, IDEA Center in Bismarck, Bismarck State College Office of Innovation, and Minot State University, Severson Entrepreneurship Academy.

Forum Communications is the lead sponsor. Other committed sponsors for 2012 include Great River Energy, Kadrmas Lee & Jackson, MDU, Bismarck-Mandan Development Corporation, Jamestown-Stutsman Development Corporation, First Western Bank and Trust – Minot, North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, Solarbee, Agency MABU, ND Society of Certified Public Accountants, National Information Solution Cooperative (NISC), Odney, Basin Electric, Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation and MAC, Inc.

Recently LightsOn was an exhibitor at a conference called HotZone in Houston, Texas. The conference was geared towards training and to equip local, state and federal responders for safe, coordinated and efficient response to releases of hazardous materials which threaten public health and the environment. Everyone is aware of how fast vendors want to get out of the exhibit hall and on to something else. Well not LightsOn!

A new emerging company needs to take every advantage they have when it comes to meeting new customers. This was our chance to meet with our customers one on one and sell, sell, sell! As the show got closer and closer to the end of the day the other vendors where looking at their watches and asking when they could tear down their booths. The exhibit hall officially closed at 1:00 p.m. and it was only 11:3 0 a.m. and LightsOn was still working. We still had customers at our booth and others made plans to meet us during the lunch hour so there was no way we were going to break our booth down. 

 At 11:45 a.m. one of the distributors called it quits and started packing up. This was a catalyst for others to do the same.  I made a commitment to make LightsOn Safety Solutions a full time job over a year ago and I was not going to give up 1 hour and 45 minutes early at this show. I was sticking it out. This is my business and I want to make it. The hotel staff were tearing down the curtains and folding up the tables around me while I still met with potential customers. They were going to have to kick me out of this place if they want my prime real estate. After they tried to take down my banner for me I got a bit upset and asked if they would work around me and they did. It was evident that I was not leaving just yet. 

Over the next half hour I introduced myself to another 20 individuals that may someday purchase our products. I would have not been able to meet with them if I had not stuck it out that long. 

 If you are serious about your company and want to make a difference in your bottom line you have to go until you can’t go any more. If a clock stops you at the end of the day then please think again about being an entrepreneur! 

LightsOn is committed to the industry it serves and committed to making it out there in this big world. Make sure you are as well.

John Holtan
President
LightsOn Safety Solutions
2211 Rayford Road, Suite 111-5
Spring, Texas 77386
701-202-6554
www.lightsonss.com

GasSIm App:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gas-monitor-simulator/id362628351?mt=8

Field of View, LLC.

“This is a great time to be a young entrepreneur in North Dakota.” – Jonathan Alme

Being a young entrepreneur in North Dakota requires vision, recognition of an opportunity, and dedicated business partners. It is challenging to go against the grain and continue on the path of entrepreneurship while your friends, colleagues and peers go off to collect steady salaries from big companies elsewhere. Having the vision to look past the short term, and the drive to take advantage of all the opportunities North Dakota presents to small, innovative businesses is the key to being a successful young entrepreneur here. During these challenging times, it is critical to align yourself with business partners that share your vision and can endure the low-times and celebrate the high-times with you.

There are definitely some distinct advantages to being a young entrepreneur in North Dakota. The first one that comes to mind is the support available. The faculty and staff within the University of North Dakota’s Engineering and Entrepreneurship departments and the entrepreneurial experts at the Center for Innovation have been, and will continue to be, extremely valuable resources. We’ve never been turned away or discouraged by those from whom we have sought assistance. Rather, we leave these conversations inspired and with some insight regarding additional opportunities available for our business and how to take our venture to the next level. There is an energy and awareness of entrepreneurship in this state, and the people here are excited, ready, and willing to go out of their way to help entrepreneurs, especially young entrepreneurs.

The state of North Dakota has some great programs to help entrepreneurs that are completely accessible to young people. Besides being successful participants of Innovate ND, we were also fortunate enough to secure funding from the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission through their prototype grant program and also from some student/faculty and student internship funding from the Center for Innovation. These opportunities have not only provided us with the capital to operate in the early-startup phase but, more importantly, have instilled the confidence within ourselves to continue to follow our passion and pursue this venture.

This is a great time to be a young entrepreneur in North Dakota. North Dakota’s favorable economic status, and the emerging unmanned aircraft industry have created an opportunity that is unique to this region, and we are excited to be here and be a part of it! There will undoubtedly be many opportunities to be captured, and this state provides all the resources and support young entrepreneurs need to create successful ventures.

Jonathan Alme and David Dvorak

Field of View, LLC. – Grand Forks, ND

2011 Innovate ND Idea Champion