Academic News

Sprint to Innovate: The Innovation Challenge Powered by Canada Life

September 11, 2024

Sprint to Innovate: The Innovation Challenge
January 30 to February 2, 2025
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Sprint to Innovate, powered by Canada Life, brings together post-secondary students from varied disciplines such as technology, business, entrepreneurship, and more. Sprint to Innovate is brought to you by University of Manitoba – Faculty of Science, Red River College Polytechnic, and Tech Manitoba. All Winnipeg Post Secondary Students are invited to participate. Students will learn about innovation while collaborating in a fun and exciting challenge to build a minimum viable prototype in two days.

We are pleased to announce that our next Sprint to Innovate: The Innovation Challenge is the weekend of Friday, January 31 to Sunday, February 2, 2025! We start the event with a Networking session on Thursday, January 30 with a training session at University of Manitoba.

We invite all companies to review our sponsorship and mentorship opportunities, and to consider submitting a business challenge; and for post-secondary students to consider participating.

How the Event Works

Teams of 4 to 6 students will choose from available business challenges provided by industry. Students will then work together with support from mentors to create a solution, including developing a prototype to be presented to judges on the final day.

A prototype is a simple experimental model of the proposed product used to learn from. Prototypes range from low-fidelity (paper-based) prototypes that are used to explain concepts all the way to high-fidelity prototypes that have functional elements with more detail.  Teams may consist of technology and business students.

How To Get Involved

As an Organization

We are looking for a sponsor to provide $3500 for our student participants on Sunday, February 2. Your $3500 sponsorship would earn you:

  1. Sponsor the event.
  2. Volunteer your time as a mentor.
  3. Provide us with a Business Challenge that your organization has by emailing ckubara@rrc.ca.

As a Student

Students from any Manitoba post-secondary school may participate in a team at Sprint to Innovate.

Students may register a team of 4 to 6 students. Check back for registration details.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Refreshment Sponsor – $3500

  • Recognition on Thursday, January 30 at our refreshment table at the Networking and Training event
  • Recognition on Sunday, February 2 at our refreshment table at breakfast, snack, and lunch
  • Recognition on event materials, website and registration.
  • Social media recognition
  • The opportunity to be a mentor to a team throughout the weekend

Event Sponsor – $1000

We are looking for sponsors to provide $1000 towards prize money to the winning teams.

Your $1000 sponsorship would earn you:

  • Recognition throughout the event
  • Recognition on event materials
  • Social media recognition
  • The opportunity to be a mentor to a team throughout the event

Title Sponsor

Thank you to our Title Sponsor Canada Life!

Thank you to our supporting sponsor Red River College Polytechnic

RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininew, Dakota, and Dené, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.

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