BIZCOM semi-final expo to be held October 19

The Eagle Innovation Business Model Competition (BIZCOM), semi-final expo will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, October 19 in the USI Performance Center.

BIZCOM is a business-model competition designed to solicit innovative business ideas from southwest Indiana and connect those ideas to teams, mentors and resources to develop the business model. Each BIZCOM team consists of at least one USI student.

Semifinalists will present their business idea in an expo marketplace format, while attendees represent investors who will vote for their favorite ideas to advance into BIZCOM finals. Attendees will receive a code to text in their votes.

Attendees can expect to hear from the following teams:

• Heliponix - Indoor hydroponic appliance with a subscription service allowing you to grow a serving of leafy greens every day.
• Borsa Finance - Consolidates earnings calls and other financial information for publicly traded companies into one place to aid investors.
• DCWN - Outdoor wireless mesh system developed from NSWC Crane intellectual property.
• Adventure Field Guides - Helps people plan outdoor adventure trips.
• LetsWaitDating - Product that encourages dates to actually happen by offsetting the financial cost of dating.
• ParasiteID - Test strip to aid in the detection of lice.
• Little Ducklings Academy - Mobile daycare service.
• Patron Exchange - Software platform which connects content creators with subscription services.
• Pharmacist Life Coach - Health and wellness advice service utilizing Pharmacists.
• SiteSpice - Service for affordable and accessible software development from collegiate students.
• Persephone - Urban Food Solutions - Indoor hydroponic system/solution.

The finalists will then be in the running for $32,500 in prize money during BIZCOM finals. USI will contribute $21,000 towards the prize ($12,000 for 1st place, $6,000 for 2nd and $3,000 for 3rd), with the potential of additional cash and other prizes donated by sponsors and awarded by BIZCOM.

"At the end of the day the power of BIZCOM is that it is a market driven competition," said Josh McWilliams, Technology Commercialization Coordinator. "We use the semi-final event to bring consumers to the table to provide valuable feedback to the prospective products/services. This allows the teams to better understand the potential consumer, change their offering as necessary and gain awareness in the community."

BIZCOM finals will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, November 2 in the USI Griffin Center. Finalists will present their business model to an expert panel of judges.

For more information about BIZCOM visit, USI.edu/BIZCOM or email Josh McWilliams, Technology Commercialization Coordinator, at jdmcwilla@usi.edu.

By Delaney Somers, USI Opportunity Development Communications Intern