{"id":55982,"date":"2023-12-18T09:17:51","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T14:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=55982"},"modified":"2024-01-19T14:35:28","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T19:35:28","slug":"middle-and-high-school-students-unveil-their-business-ideas-at-inventanooga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/middle-and-high-school-students-unveil-their-business-ideas-at-inventanooga\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle and high school students unveil their business ideas at Inventanooga"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Inventanooga

Inventanooga brought 21 teams and more than 70 students from schools in Hamilton, Bradley and Oconee counties to UTC to make presentations in front of a panel of judges. Photo of the STEM School of Chattanooga C.U.B.E. team by Katrina Craven.<\/p><\/div>\n

Working at home can come with its share of distractions. Barking dogs. Crying babies. Quarreling siblings.<\/p>\n

Oh, and cute squirrels.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer dad has a makeshift home office,\u201d said Eliana Berger, pointing at Arna Stamper, \u201cbut he gets distracted by all the kids and by things going on outside the window. He gets distracted by squirrels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stamper doesn\u2019t disagree.<\/p>\n

Time to call in C.U.B.E.<\/p>\n

An acronym for Collapsible Unit Based Environment, it\u2019s two walls hinged together that can fold together when not needed and fold out in the corner of a room, creating a four-sided cubicle to separate a person from dogs, babies, sirens and, yes, squirrels.<\/p>\n

The concept was innovative enough to win top prize in Inventanooga 2023, held at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Wednesday, Dec. 13.<\/p>\n

C.U.B.E team members Berger, Stamper, Aidan Farnsworth and Taylor Boyd are seniors at STEM School Chattanooga and\u2014by accruing the most points from the competition\u2019s judges across all presentations\u2014each was awarded a $2,000 scholarship to the Gary W. Rollins College of Business.<\/p>\n

Inventanooga brought 21 teams and more than 70 students from schools in Hamilton, Bradley and Oconee counties to UTC. Both middle and high school students participated, pitching business ideas they formulated, researched and, in some cases, produced prototypes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to host this event as part of helping the young entrepreneur develop their creativity and their skills into a real business,\u201d said Dr. Subin Im, head of the Rollins College of Business Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship. \u201cWe just tell them that we are here to help them so a lot of them have the motivation to stay in Chattanooga, and we can help them to prosper.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want them to know Chattanooga is a great entrepreneurial community. We have all the resources and all the players and the ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proposals at Inventanooga included an app that keeps continuous track of school buses so students will know if their bus is running on time, late or early. Another created a hydroelectric generator that runs on the water in house gutters. Still another proposed a writing pen that prevents hand cramps and is made out of biodegradable plastic so, when it gets thrown out because it\u2019s causing hand cramps, it won\u2019t hurt the environment.<\/p>\n

The proposals were judged by local business owners, entrepreneurs and others with experience in product creation and promotion. Organizers said Inventanooga provided a chance for the students to experience what it\u2019s like to pitch an idea in real-world circumstances and receive professional feedback.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re being treated as professionals today,\u201d said Kyle Carrasco, program director of Inventanooga and a teacher at STEM School Chattanooga. \u201cI\u2019m hoping that they\u2019ll just learn how to have confidence in their ideas. Ultimately, I hope that they have a great day being able to present their own original ideas.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all intents and purposes, every kid knows now how to successfully problem solve; they\u2019ve proven that through this project. Their presentation today is a celebration of that work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The competition had three categories for pitches: Ideators, Designers and Executives.<\/p>\n