FAQs
Thank you for your interest in Innovate-A-thon. This is a great program with multiple benefits to students, society, and sponsors. We are entirely nonprofit and deeply appreciate support from sponsors that share the values of innovation and experiential education
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Feel free to explore our FAQs for answers to common questions, or contact us directly
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What is the difference between an Exclusive Sprint, and an Open Innovation Sprint?
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What is the difference between Open Innovation and Open Innovation Plus sponsorships?
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What are the benefits for sponsors in Exclusive and Open Innovation Sprints?
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I would like student teams to work on a specific problem. Is this possible?
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FAQ answers​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​​What is the difference between an Exclusive Sprint, and an Open Innovation Sprint?
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​Great question!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Exclusive Sprint
In an EXCLUSIVE SPRINT, a sponsor is able to present the problem-or topic- on which 3-5 student innovator teams will focus
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All students teams will simultaneously focus on the sponsors topic and bring a range of technologically and economically viable solutions
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IAT will recruit students specific to the designated topic
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All outcomes of the student work will be owned by the sponsor
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Sponsor has exclusive access to not just the knowledge created, but also access to the student innovators, who may consider them for positions with their organization
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The $15K sponsorship for exclusive sponsorship provides for all student scholarships, materials, and minor operational expenses
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This cost of engagement with potential employees compares favorably to career fairs and other recruiting activities (see below)
Open Innovation Sprint
In an OPEN INNOVATION SPRINT, IAT team selects the topic, often driven through a nationwide vote, and on which 3-5 student innovator teams will focus
The interests of Open Innovation Sprint and Open Innovation Sprint Plus sponsors differ from Exclusive Sprint sponsors:
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Open Innovation Sprint sponsors participate based on a common mission of the sprint topic, an interest in experiential education, or both (rather than presenting the topic and owning the outcomes)
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IAT will recruit students based on the general topic and related fields of study
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IP generated is owned by the inventing students, or offered to the open innovation environment
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Sprint sponsorship may consist of one or multiple sponsors to cover the cost of the sprint—sponsorships range from $1K-$10K for Open Innovation and Open Innovation Plus sponsors!
What is the difference between Open Innovation and Open Innovation Plus sponsorships?
​For Open Innovation Sponsors, IAT commits to direct all sponsorship funds to student scholarships and program materials. Open Innovation Plus sponsors elect to add 10% to their sponsorship amount to help offset operational and organizational costs of hosting the sprint. These operational and organizational costs are otherwise covered through philanthropy, grants, and donations—all of which consume team time to solicit and organize. A small, 10% addition helps to accelerate efficiency and outcomes for an IAT sprint​
What are the benefits for sponsors in Exclusive and Open Innovation Sprints?​
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Another great question! ​
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Open innovation sponsors support the general topic and the role of experiential education
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In both Exclusive and Open Innovation Sponsorships, the sponsor benefits emulate – at a much lower cost--common talent acquisition options such as career fairs, capstone project investment, and access to students from multiple universities in a performance based environment
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​A cost and value comparison for talent acquisition is as follows:
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Event/Program | Typical duration | Cost range | Key deliverables | Brand exposure | Mentor/SME opportunities |
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Innovate-A-thon | 3 weeks | $15K for exclusive; $1K-$10K for open innovation | Direct interaction with students from multiple universities, cross-functional teams, and hands-on experience | Increased brand exposure through host network, access to students from 800+ universities, sponsor recognition on all platforms, weekly press releases, 2-3 social media posts/week, and virtual career fair booths | Mentors and SMEs contribute based on sponsorship and expertise, with minimal time commitment due to short sprint cycles. Engagement is flexible and can occur from anywhere via the Remo platform |
Hackathon | 1-3 days | $15K-$40K | Rapid Innovation, limited scope of project(s); student representation varies regionally or nationally | Increased brand exposure based on network of hackathon host | Varies, based on regionality and expertise
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Recruiting tool subscription | Ongoing | $10K-$30K | Access to talent databases with passive candidate reach; access to students from multiple universities; reliant on student self selection and response | Little brand exposure, beyond recognition among self selected student responses | NA |
Career Fair | 1-2 days | $10K-25K | Resume collection, networking, brief exposure; students from singular university | Limited to university host promotion | NA |
University senior capstone
| 4-9 months (1-2 semester) | $20K-$50K | 1 project per student group with academic oversight; students from singular university or program | Limited to reach of university specific program | Varies, but requires significant time commitment to span duration of affiliated course/program |
I would like student teams to work on a specific problem. Is this possible?
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Yes! As outlined in FAQ 1, a company or organization can have 15-25 students participate in 3-5 teams to address a specific problem posed by a sponsor.
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The exclusive sponsor funds all aspects of the sprint and has extensive interaction with student innovators and the innovation topic
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All IP is owned by the sponsor—however substantial contributions by students need to be recognized in patent documents​
​I like the idea of IAT and believe in the proposed problem. Do I need to sponsor an entire sprint?
​​​​​​We welcome all sponsorship levels!
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Exclusive Innovation Sprint Sponsor
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Sponsor choice of topic and rights to all IP generated.
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Full cost and includes sprint cost and operations support
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Open Innovation Sprint Sponsor
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Supports scholarship and materials costs. Includes full support or smaller amounts ($1K-$10K)
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Open Innovation Sprint Plus Sponsor
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Funds scholarship, materials, and operations—includes placement of support on IAT website and materials, in addition to sprint related materials.
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Any sponsor level gift plus 10% for operations
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Scholarship Sponsor
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Support a student’s participation in a two-week sprint for $600
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Individual Donor
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All gifts always appreciated
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Exclusive Sprint
In an EXCLUSIVE SPRINT, a sponsor is able to present the problem-or topic- on which 3-5 student innovator teams will focus
-
All students teams will simultaneously focus on the sponsors topic and bring a range of technologically and economically viable solutions
-
IAT will recruit students specific to the designated topic
-
All outcomes of the student work will be owned by the sponsor
-
Sponsor has exclusive access to not just the knowledge created, but also access to the student innovators, who may consider them for positions with their organization
-
The $15K sponsorship for exclusive sponsorship provides for all student scholarships, materials, and minor operational expenses
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This cost of engagement with potential employees compares favorably to career fairs and other recruiting activities (see below)
Open Innovation Sprint
In an OPEN INNOVATION SPRINT, IAT team selects the topic, often driven through a nationwide vote, and on which 3-5 student innovator teams will focus
The interests of Open Innovation Sprint and Open Innovation Sprint Plus sponsors differ from Exclusive Sprint sponsors:
-
Open Innovation Sprint sponsors participate based on a common mission of the sprint topic, an interest in experiential education, or both (rather than presenting the topic and owning the outcomes)
-
IAT will recruit students based on the general topic and related fields of study
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IP generated is owned by the inventing students, or offered to the open innovation environment
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Sprint sponsorship may be comprised of one or multiple sponsors to cover the cost of the sprint—sponsorships range from $2K-$10K for Open Innovation and Open Innovation Plus sponsors!
​​I love the experiential aspect for students. Can I sponsor one or more scholarships for these students to participate?
Yes! Sponsoring a student is a wonderful way to contribute. Each student receives a scholarship based on their participation. The cost to sponsor a scholarship is $600. Please consider one or more! We engage 15-25 students per sprint, which run anywhere from one-three per month!
Other questions? Please reach out to us. We will respond quickly. Thank you for all input and your support