PROVE IT.

"Are YOU an innovator? PROVE IT!"

Northeastern Maryland's Business Innovation Challenge

MISSION: Regional Opioid Crisis

Join the fight to address our regional opioid crisis through creative collaboration and business innovation. Form a team, bring your best ideas, and work with our on-site mentors - regional professionals and leaders from government, industry, and academia - to prove that your ideas in prevention, treatment, or recovery can make a difference in the fight against opioid addiction. Final concepts will be pitched directly to our team of judges, comprised of notable area leaders, who can help realize your solutions for the betterment of our communities!

PRIZE(S):

There will be first, second and third place prizes awarded to include cash prizes and oppurtunities for entrepreneurial classes at Harford Community College as well as mentoring in business development from regional sponsors such as SBDC.

CHALLENGE FOCUS AREAS*:

• Prevention Methods
• Social Implications of Addition
• Law Enforcement/Interdiction: Policy/Process/Tech & Capabilities
• Treatment Methodology
• Biotechnology Solutions
• Patient Data and Management
• Genetic Factors
• Human Resources, Employment, Business
• Recovery & Wellness Sustainment

*Teams are not required to focus on a given topic area.

BACKGROUND AND EVENT DESCRIPTION:

Northeastern Maryland is home to a unique innovative ecosystem of government, industry, and academic research organizations and institutions, including U.S. Army installation, Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG). APG is a central focus to an expansive consortium of science, technology, research, and development laboratories and testing facilities that have a strong history of working collaboratively to deliver innovative solutions. Sharing knowledge through collaborating with partners across government, industry, and academia creates opportunities for innovation that not only impacts mission but gives society the tools required to move forward. Unfortunately, like many areas across our great nation, northeastern Maryland is in the midst of battling a rampant epidemic of opioid addition. The opioid crisis on our home front has impacted nearly every community and citizen to some extent.

PROVE IT! seeks to bring together teams of innovators, entrepreneurs, and skilled individuals into a creative and collaborative innovation challenge to inspire, develop, and present viable, commercializable solutions aimed at addressing specific, devastating impacts of opioid addition. Likewise, this challenge event provides the unique opportunity for teams to bring their best ideas and work with our on-site mentors - regional professionals and leaders from government, industry, and academia - to PROVE that their business solutions to prevention, treatment, and recovery can make a difference and save lives in the fight against opioid addiction.

Final concepts will be pitched directly to our team of judges, comprised of notable area leaders, who can help realize YOUR solutions for the betterment of our communities!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

• 8:00am - Doors open
• 8:00am - 8:30am - Registration, breakfast
• 8:30am - 9:00am - Orientation
• 9:00am - 1:00pm - Break-out Session 1
• 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Grab-and-go Lunch available
• 2:00pm - 5:00pm - Break-out Session 2 (Pitch Development)
• 5:00pm - 7:00pm - Pitch Competition*
• 7:00pm - 8:00pm - Awards/Dinner
• 8:00pm - Close

*Based on the number of competing teams, the format of the Pitch Competition may be divided into preliminary and final pitch rounds.

KEYWORDS: Hackathon, Hacking for a Cause, Think Together, Fight Opioids, Business Innovation, Innovation, Rural Innovation, Innovation Community, Empower Innovators, Small Business, Entrepreneurship, Economic Development, Aberdeen Proving Ground, APG