Innovation into Action Challenge

Innovation into Action Challenge is an opportunity to compete for $100,000 in prizes, build relationships with development professionals and their firms, and put your innovation into action in one of 100 locations around the world.

DEADLINE

March 11, 2016 at 5:00am.

PRIZES

A prize pool worth $100,000, consisting of cash awards plus an opportunity to product/market test your idea in the field. DAI will provide pre- and post-trip mentoring on an all-expenses-paid visit for two people to a DAI project overseas for each winner. 

Three winners will be selected. Each winner will be awarded:

• $20,000 in funding
• Matchmaking with one of DAI's projects, including a fully-funded visit to the selected project for networking, product testing, market analysis, and more
• Access to a network of innovation accelerator professionals through the challenge partners
• Coaching and technical mentoring to refine their pitch, product, or service, with an eye to commercialization and/or contract assignments with development organizations like DAI.

ELIGIBILITY

• The competition is open to small companies, nonprofit organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. 
• You must have a product or service that is beyond the idea stage and has generated at least one transaction. 
• Your business model must be scalable, and your startup must have less than $5 million in revenue in the past year. 

All submissions are welcome, across the spectrum of needs and sectors in emerging economies: food security, water, natural resources, energy, supply chains, and so on. They are particularly interested in six client groups and product/service areas:
Governance and Services: Fostering dialogue between governments and citizens.
Workforce Development: Equipping young people with skills and ways to connect to the labor market.
Data Analytics: Improving monitoring, service delivery, and impact of projects related to health, education, energy, water and sanitation.
Knowledge Management: Facilitating learning and collaboration among development partners.
Climate Change Adaptation: Helping monitor and respond to changes in the environment.
Agriculture: Improve and secure food production and distribution.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Readiness: Is the solution ready for Development Industry use?
Effectiveness and Impact: How well does the proposed solution address the development challenge?
Sustainability and Scale: Can the innovation generate sustainable revenue?
Replicability and Management Capacity: Is management capable of implementing the innovation and replicating it in the field?

COMPETITION PAGE

https://dai.forms.fm/innovation-into-action-challenge

Source and Photo Credit: https://dai.forms.fm/innovation-into-action-challenge