Aspiring entrepreneurs can submit applications for the 14th annual Innovation Quest Competition for the chance to win a cash prize until Wednesday, March 19.
According to the Innovation Quest website, this competition aims to help students turn their ideas into prototypes into start-up businesses. While the competition is offered by the School of Business, applications are open to all undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Connecticut. Alumni who have graduated in the past year are also welcome to participate. Competitors can enter either as individuals or as part of a team.
The first step of the application process is filling out a Microsoft form. Participants should have a developed idea for their projects in order to fill out the form. They should be prepared to describe their idea, explain what they’d like to see as a final product/service and how their product/service is innovative.
According to the website, a few competitors will be selected from the initial application process and invited to participate in Summer InQbator, a summer program that will run from May 7 to June 7. In this program, students will gain access to mentorship on how to solidify their project plans and pitch them to investors, according to a participant from last year.
The participant, Nihara Lijan, a sophomore majoring in physiology and neurobiology and minoring in Spanish, embarked on this journey her freshman year and came out in third place.
Lijan entered a project she used for her Distributive Education Clubs of America organization in high school called VitalGuard. She came up with the idea during her junior year of high school. She reflected on when she got a concussion in middle school that affected her academics, and caused her parents to pull her out of sports.
VitalGuard is a mouth guard that can detect the four main neurological injuries that can result from sports incidents: concussions, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, internal bleeding and skull fractures.
“If there was a way to know when a neurological injury happens to prevent distance between the diagnosis and when [the injury] happens it would be helpful,” she said when talking about her motivation to create the project.
As a physiology and neurobiology major, Lijan said she did not understand a lot about business and how to present her projects to get them off the ground. She said that the workshops she had during the InQbator program helped educate her in areas such as intellectual property and patenting.
At the end of summer program, the top three plans will receive a monetary award to fund their businesses. First place receives $15,000, second place receives $10,000 and third place receives $5,000. Students must participate in the InQbator program for the chance to be awarded funding.
Lijan advises students that considering applying for the competition and presenting their projects to display passion and confidence.
“Try to resonate with your audience,” she said. “Chances are, you’re not the only one who can resonate with your product.”
Correction: This article was updated on March 16, 2025 to reflect clarify that Lijan got a concussion in middle school, but came up with the idea for VitalGuard in high school.