Bobcat Innovation Launch Pad - We Need Your Help

We have the perfect opportunity for students who are ferociously curious, highly collaborative, and willing to work with others! And we need your help!

Frostburg State University is excited to host its first regional Bobcat Innovation Launch Pad competition. All students are invited to apply. In partnership the TEDCO Maryland Innovation Lab, Deloitte's Innovation Lab and the University System of Maryland Launch Fund, this competition is an opportunity for teams to work quickly and collectively to develop business models and technology-based solutions to real world problems.

What is the Innovation Launch Pad?

During the Bobcat Innovation Launch Pad, multidisciplinary teams will put their technical and entrepreneurial skills to the test as they work through problem statements related to this year's themes. Using the agile methodology, teams will conduct market research to create a commercially viable solution and subsequent new technologies to solve difficult issues. Prizes for 1st through 3rd places will be awarded to support further exploration and development of their solutions.

HOW TO VOLUNTEER

The Bobcat Innovation Launch Pad needs volunteers to serve as Advisors, Mentors and Supporters for the Student Teams participating in the event. FSU Faculty, FSU Staff, as well as Community and Statewide Organization, Business and Government Leaders are welcome and encouraged to serve. There are several ways to help at the event.

Be a Bobcat Innovation Launch Pad Team Advisor. While the lead advisors for the student teams during the event will be Deloitte consultants, FSU faculty, staff and other advisors are invited to volunteer to be subject matter experts or mentors. Interested advisors should have expertise across multiple industries and technologies and should be proven leaders in their respective fields.
Make suggestions on an online site of the problem statements teams are to consider. These problem statements will be provided to the student teams to select their focus for the Bobcat Innovation Launch Pad. Topics may include Power Elasticity, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, ESG Assurance, Micro Grids, and Shadow Utility.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF TEAM ADVISORS:

Leadership - Provide assistance to help teams decompose and explore issued problem statements, and then quiz the teams to find a deeper problem worth solving.
Positive Friction - Help teams with the critical reasoning skills needed to answer tough questions, challenge their thinking, get them "unstuck" and be a steward to actionable ideas in the time allowed.
Technical - Provide enough technical depth to minimally guide teams to create a marketecture, reference architecture or isometric diagram to show the solution's placement and/or tech stack.
Economics - Have the ability to guide primary market research around total addressable/serviceable/obtainable markets to validate the opportunity.
Business - Coach teams to be able to define the business/market/ecological value and a potential Go To Market (GTM) strategy.
Salespiration - Support pitch development in PowerPoint and public speaking skills to design and pitch a business model for the Innovation Launch Pad.
Judging - Serve as a judge during the final “pitch competition” to help select the 3 teams that will receive cash prizes to help further explore and develop their ideas and solutions.