Sheridan College students compete for $10,000 and the opportunity to enhance fan experience during TORONTO 2015

TORONTO – In preparation for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, Sheridan College, Cisco Canada, Fuse Marketing and Soft Gravity are hosting the President’s Innovation Challenge on Saturday, January 11, at Sheridan College’s Oakville campus.

Students have been challenged to come up with an innovation that will build smart connections and enhanced experiences between the 2015 Pan Am Games, the province of Ontario, and the fans.  The ideas are unlimited and might range from apps that allow people to swap tickets or stories to programs that improve navigation through venues or that bundle local business offers for fans in attendance.

The contest is intended to give the host communities and their constituents an opportunity to impact the success of the Games.  It also provides a platform for Sheridan students to showcase their talent, creativity and innovation.

The first step of the challenge is the all-day idea-a-thon on January 11 in which 14 teams of students from multiple disciplines will conceive, refine and present their ideas to a panel of expert judges. Dedicated mentors will listen to the pitches and select a team to work with through to the final round. The winning group will receive a $10,000 cash prize to develop their idea to fruition, with the aim of launching their invention by April, 2015.  A People’s Choice award will also be presented.

Media opportunities

We invite you to attend the competition to witness the real-time transformation of ideas into innovations by the next generation of Canadian innovators.  The following senior representatives from Sheridan, Cisco, Fuse Marketing and Soft Gravity will serve as judges or mentors and will be available for interviews:

                                Ron Dekker, Vice President, New Enterprise Business, Cisco Canada

                                Jeff Seifert, Chief Technology Officer, Cisco Canada

                                William Holmes, Vice Provost, Sheridan College

                                Sumon Acharjee, Chief Information Officer, Sheridan College

                                Stephen Brown, Fuse Marketing

                                Boban Vejin, President Soft Gravity

                                Kevin Harshaw, IT Director, Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games 

When: Saturday, January 11, 2014 from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. 

            Final pitches to judges made at 3:30PM.  Winners announced at 5:00PM.

Where: Sheridan College, Trafalgar Rd; Oakville Campus

    Room: Learning Commons