Cincinnati Innovates 2010 Kick-off!

Come help us kick-off Cincinnati Innovates 2010! 
Find out what it is and who’s involved, and network with investors, inventors, and community leaders.  Enjoy cocktails and light hors d'oeuvres at the Taft Center overlooking beautiful Fountain Square.

When: Wednesday, May 4th at 4:00pm

Where: The Taft Center on Fountain Square
Second floor of the US Bank/Westin atrium on Fountain Square.  Parking is available across the street at the Fountain Square garage.

Who: Our sponsors (angel and venture capital investors, patent attorneys, incubators, and other leading community organizations), academic leaders, community leaders, creatives, techies, inventors, and entrepreneurs

What: Cocktails, networking, and a five-minute presentation on the Cincinnati Innovates competition.

RSVP:  http://cincinnatiinnovateskickoff2010.eventbrite.com

About Cincinnati Innovates:
Cincinnati is one of the most innovative cities in the world. It boasts one of the highest rates of patent applications per capita in the country.  Did you know the Uno card game, the Swiffer, the Heimlich maneuver, Benadryl, the oral polio vaccine, the iron lung, the first ambulance service, Ivory Soap, Pringles, the gas mask, and the 3-light traffic signal were all invented in Cincinnati?   

Cincinnati Innovates is a regional innovation competition aimed at channeling this innovative spirit into creating companies, connecting inventors and investors and inspiring entrepreneurship.

It is open to anyone with an idea or an invention who has a connection to Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky/Southeast Indiana. 

To enter, visit www.cincinnatiinnovates.com:

1. Enter a short description of your innovation – product, business, idea – and upload pictures, video, sketches, or other media to help explain and showcase it.
2. Tell your friends about it. The Community Choice Award is driven by online votes.

Details:

• The competition is open online at www.cincinnatiinnovates.com from May 1-Sept. 1, 2010. 
• Anyone can enter – any age, background, level of expertise.
• Any type of innovation is welcome – product, device, business process, etc.

Awards: This year, Cincinnati Innovates will ten awards totaling over $80,000!

CincyTech Commercialization Awards:   $25,000 and $10,000
(sponsored by CincyTech)
Northern Kentucky Commercialization Award:  $10,000
(sponsored by Northern Kentucky eZone, Vision 2015, Northern Kentucky Tri-Ed, and bioLogic)
Taft Patent Awards:   $10,000 and $5,000
(applied toward patent applications and prosecution, sponsored by Taft Stettinius & Hollister)
LPK Design and Branding Award: $10,000
(applied toward design and branding, sponsored by LPK)
CoStrategix Web Development Award:  $5,000
(applied toward web application, sponsored by CoStrategix)
Cooney, Faulkner & Stevens Get Started Award:   $2,500
(applied toward business accounting and advisory, sponsored by Cooney, Faulkner & Stevens)
HYPE Community Choice Award:  $2,000
(sponsored by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber's HYPE program)
Student Innovator Award:  $1,000
(sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Venture Association)

What’s next:
Each month, one innovation will be featured on Soapbox Media, granting exposure to thousands of Cincinnatians.

Judges, including investors and experts from all industry backgrounds, will select the best innovations of 2010 for the top awards.

Awards will be announced at a ceremony in late September.

Visit Cincinnati Innovates at www.cincinnatiinnovates.com to learn more about how to enter, view entries, and vote on the best innovations of 2010 in Greater Cincinnati.

Upcoming Events for Innovators
In addition to the awards ceremony, there will be several events along the way to help connect inventors with knowledge, resources, and investors.  All of these events are open to competition entrants and to the public, though some events require advance registration.  We look forward to seeing you there! 

June 7-8 – C-Cap Entrepreneur Boot camp
July 21 – How to Finance a Startup: 10 ways to raise money to start your company in these tough economic times. (Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Learning Center)
August  TBD – InOneWeekend – 100 people create a startup in one weekend!  Space is limited, add your name to the waitlist today.

Thank you to our sponsors:
– CincyTech (Founding sponsor)
– Taft Stettinius & Hollister (Founding sponsor)
– The Haile Foundation (Founding sponsor)
– The Enquirer Media
– LPK
– Northern Kentucky Tri-Ed
– Soapbox Media
– Cincinnati Children's Hospital
– CoStrategix
– Vision 2015
– Greater Cincinnati Venture Association
– HYPE Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber
– Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Foundation
– Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
– Northern Kentucky eZone
– Cooney, Faulkner & Stevens
– C-Cap
– Fort Washington
– Hamilton County Development Corporation
– The Health Foundation
– Cincinnati Inventor's Council
– BIOSTART
– bioLogic