The Portland State Cleantech Challenge, a competition that gives PSU students a chance to help create a clean, energy efficient environment, hit its first round application deadline at 5 p.m. on May 16.
Going into its second year running, the annual Cleantech Challenge encourages PSU students to take their ideas and turn them into working prototypes over the summer. Undergraduates, graduates, postdocs and faculty are eligible to compete for a total prize pool of $40,000.
“Although the Cleantech Challenge is currently exclusive to PSU, we hope to take it statewide within the next two years,” said Quinn Read, project manager for the Center for Entrepreneurship.
For a project to be considered cleantech, it must fit the definition posted on the competition’s official website, which says that “any product, process or service that affects the resource-constrained environment in a positive way including energy generation, conservation, reduction of resource use, waste reduction, or water, soil and air pollution mitigation or renewal. The innovations can be green consumer products, greening of supply chains, industrial, commercial, municipal processes or technologies, microproducts and nanotechnology or anything that contributes to a healthier planet.”
“As you can see, cleantech is a pretty broad term,” Read said. “Their pitch can be anything from a local service to a consumer product. It’s fun to see competitors get creative with it.”
Anne Phillip, a PSU alumna with a B.A. in biology and member of the previous year’s winning team, gave her advice to this year’s competitors. “I think creating a road map for what you want to accomplish by the end of the competition is really important. It’s also a good idea to take advantage of all of the knowledge available from people you interact with during the competition. That being said, keep your own goals clear in your mind and don’t be too swayed by other people’s advice.”
After attending information sessions in late April, prospective teams pitched their ideas by the May 16 deadline. Teams chosen to advance in the competition were notified and attended a mandatory pitch coaching, hosted by the PSU Business Accelerator on May 23.
“Being involved in the Cleantech Challenge is part of the Business Accelerator’s effort to connect small start-up businesses with investors,” said Matt Foreman, program assistant at the Business Accelerator. “We provide a venue for the early stages of the competition and host the pitch mentoring sessions.”
In a semifinal pitching round, 14 teams will present their fine-tuned ideas and concepts to a panel of judges in a public event on May 29. Each team will have a total of 10 minutes in front of the audience—five to present and another five to answer questions. From there the teams will be pared down yet again, leaving only five or six to move on in the competition. Advancing teams will be announced May 30.
Moving into June, teams finalize their contracts and will receive grants of $2,500. Teams then have 90 days over the course of the summer to build final prototypes or products before showing off their projects to the judges one last time.
This final round will take place at the Oregon BEST FEST, the Northwest’s premier cleantech innovation conference, giving competitors yet another opportunity to make important acquaintances and connections within the cleantech community.
The 2013 Cleantech Challenge (the first annual event) was won by a team led by Phillip. Their idea to build a home aquaponics system combined hydroponics (growing plants in water) and aquaculture (raising aquatic animals) to produce sustainable food that requires less water and fertilizer than traditional methods.
Their final product, a modular aquaponics system, led to the start of Phillip’s company Möbius Microfarms. Taking business to the next level, Möbius Microfarms recently installed its first commercial system in Northeast Portland’s popular Mediterranean restaurant Tabla Bistro.
“The Cleantech Challenge was a very rewarding experience on many levels. It was amazing to receive funding to be able to create a prototype. But, perhaps most beneficial was the business education that was woven into the infrastructure of the program,” Phillip said. “I learned how to construct and test business models and consider my target audience. These skills have ultimately been incredibly useful as I moved forward from the Cleantech Challenge to launch my business.”
For more information on the Cleantech Challenge visit the official website, pdx.edu/clean-challenge