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Catalyze Klamath Kick Off Meeting
November 9, 2016 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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This article was in Thursday’s (October 27th, 2016) Herald and News
Written By: Holly Owens
Oregon Tech’s Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge over the past two years has brought together 10 student and alumni teams to compete for over $20,000 in prize money. The 2017 Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge will kick off with a meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, at the Gaucho Collective on Main Street, according to a news release.
Catalyze 2017 will be similar in format to last year, with teams competing for prizes, receiving coaching and technical assistance, as well as participating in a Shark Tech pitch session and development of a business plan to commercialize their invention. The winning teams will receive over $15,000 in cash and in-kind business support to enhance their ability to start and grow successful companies in the region.
Oregon Tech is encouraging all student project teams in both the Colleges of Engineering, Technology and Management, and Health Arts and Sciences to consider competing, and to form multi-disciplinary teams of engineers or healthcare majors with management and entrepreneurship students.
Over the last two years, funds for Catalyze Klamath have been donated by Rep. Gail Whitsett, Sen. Doug Whitsett, Klamath County, the city of Klamath Falls, the Klamath County Economic Development Association, Avista, the Gaucho Collective, the Herald and News, Klamath IDEA, Oregon BEST and Black Canyon Woodworks.
For more information, visit www.oit.edu/catalyze or contact Lita Colligan, associate vice president for strategic partnerships, at lita.colligan@oit.edu or interim dean Hallie Neupert, at hallie.neupert@oit.edu.
Winning teams — winning projects
The winning team in 2015, Gro-volution, with members Eric Wilson, Derek Pallett, Nathan Leung, is moving ahead to build their business, a sustainable agriculture production system (“In the box farming”), with the help of their $5,000 first place prize. The winning team in 2016, GO Possibilities, with members Matthew Stansbury, Eric Tipler, Ben Fawver and Tate Orlik Hill, is working to produce graphene oxide — a highly conductive fluid that is made of carbon, is stronger than steel but lighter than paper, is flexible and transparent — at a lower cost and using less toxic chemicals than currently available products; and producing 3-D printers that can print out sheets of the graphene that can be used for energy conduction and storage in numerous products, such as cell phones and electronics.
Catalyze Klamath preliminary schedule of events
- 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 9: Catalyze Klamath Challenge III kick off meeting, Gaucho Collective, 1038 Main St.
- Dec 5 through Jan. 13: Catalyze team registration window
- Jan. 18: Catalyze team meet and greet. This will be a hosted event for teams to meet with mentors, network and learn about available resources.
- March 1: Annual SharkTech Venture Pitch Contest – tentative date
- April 21: Final report due
- May 18: Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge Contest at Oregon Tech College Union. Teams will compete in front of a panel of judges for prize. A list of judges, prizes and final details will be announced closer to the competition. Refreshments will be served for all team members.
