Scholars Tank
Scholars Tank Background
Scholars Tank is an entrepreneurial-themed addition to Scholars Showcase, where students and faculty can present an idea to improve some aspect of campus, that has the potential to be turned into an entrepreneurial venture. Our campus entrepreneurs will pitch their idea to a panel of “sharks”, who will decide which idea gets funded.
The winner will be awarded $5,000 to seed that idea from concept to concrete--watching your idea grow into something that has a positive impact on the university. These can be individual projects or groups projects (up to 5 people per group).
The Problem
Innovations break constraints. Your innovation that solves a problem can be something you’ve personally faced, something that you have seen on campus, or something much bigger. Or is there an opportunity that the university is not taking advantage, that you are uniquely-suited to execute?
The Addressable Market
So, you have identified a problem, but is it really a problem? Or an opportunity? Provide evidence to support your argument. Who does this problem affect? How much money is in the market, and where the market is headed?
The Current Solutions
More often than not, someone else will also be trying to solve the problem you are addressing or has already tried. Tell us what those solutions leave out and why that is a problem.
Your Solution
You’ve made the case, now tell us how you solve? Is it a product or service? Something that you have already prototyped? What’s next? What do you see for the future, based on available information today? A cool name for your solution never hurts.
120 Seconds!!
The time restriction forces you to think through the entire problem & solution. It’s easy to ramble, but to fit everything in that time frame, you have to know your stuff! That said, don’t let the time limit be the thing keeping you from pitching! The best way to beat the clock is by practicing. The Scholar Tank Team will also give you feedback as to what went well and what needs to be improved, so you can fine tune your idea.
Application Process
Proposals are due Monday April 8 at 8:00a. All individuals on the proposal must be EKU students currently enrolled in courses.
In your proposal, include the following information…
1. Names of participants
2. One paragraph explaining how your business will solve a problem in the marketplace (maximum of 100 words).
Email your proposal to Dr. Blair at james.blair@eku.edu. He will confirm with you receipt of your submission if you are selected for the Final Round.
Submissions selected to the Final Round will have a 2-minute presentation with a panel of judges followed by approximately 10-minutes of Q&A with the judges. This will occur on Thursday April 18 from 11:00a- 1:00p.