Innovation

The Symposium covered three main topic areas:

1. DART-related Workforce Development

2. Central Coast Innovation Ecosystems

3. Interfacing with the Next Generation

The first topic area focused on training and developing the workforce required to keep pace with the rapid advancements in drone automation and robotics technology. Discussions included educational programs, internships, and mentorship opportunities. The second topic area addressed the Central Coast innovation ecosystems, highlighting companies such as Joby Aviation, Farm N-G, and Advance Air Mobility, and their contributions to the development of drone technologies. The third topic area concentrated on engaging the next generation through job fairs, poster sessions, and roundtable discussions.

Overall, the 2023 Monterey Bay Drone Automation and Robotics Technologies (DART) Symposium was a comprehensive and informative event, providing a platform for participants to learn about the latest advancements in drone technology and its applications. With a diverse range of topics and participants, the Symposium fostered collaborations and partnerships that are expected to drive innovation and growth in the field of drone automation and robotics.

The 15th Annual Startup Challenge Monterey Bay was held in person this year. Twenty Finalists competed for the grand prize in their division. The teams presented their business ideas to business experts who served as judges in the Final Round of the competition. Fifty-two startup businesses entered the Challenge and twenty teams were selected as Finalists to compete on Friday, April 26, 2024. 

15th Year of Startup Challenge

The Challenge reached a milestone this year: 15 years of startup businesses receiving training, encouragement, and mentoring as they compete for the prizes. Started in 2010 by the Marina Technology Cluster under the direction of Susan Barch, the Challenge moved to CSU Monterey Bay in 2013 and has been hosted by the University since then. 

2024 Startup Challenge Participants

The finalists, all from the Monterey Bay region, competed in the final round hoping to join the likes of past winners including Cruz Foam, Carmel Honey Company, HeavyConnect, Apostrophe, Little Feet Packaging, and Monterey Bay Food Tours, who have gone on to great success in their business ventures.

The Challenge offers four divisions – Venture, Main Street, Student, and Social Venture.  The Venture division is for businesses that intend to scale into large enterprises, and that can provide venture capital-level returns to investors; the Main Street division is for small businesses, and the Student division is for students in middle school through graduate school. The Social Venture division is for individuals seeking to launch non-profits or for-profit businesses with a social mission.

Attendees received $30,000 in Otter Dollars, which they were encouraged to “invest” in the Startup Challenge finalist companies at the event’s Venture Showcase. The Startup Challenge entrepreneur team with the most Otter dollars received the Crowd Favorite award. This year, the Crowd Favorite was Motivando Corazones Consulting!

This year’s winners by division:

Venture Division:

• Grand Prize: Align - Align provides an ecosystem of wellness products to promote mind-body health across the lifespan.

• Runners-Up (2): 

  • Eivie - Developing the next generation of eVTOL, selling IP, manufacturing crop sprayers, manned aircraft and selling the same.

  • Bike Garage - Bike Garage make bike customization easy with an intuitive, free, parts configuration app. It allows cyclists to seamlessly configure their ideal rides by selecting from a wide range of components and visualizing their creations in real time.

Main Street Division:

• Grand Prize: Rooted Wonder - Rooted Wonder play cafe will be a one-of-a-kind community space designed to foster creativity, imagination, and social interaction among children and families.

• Runners-Up (2): 

  • Fog’s End Distillery - A craft distillery. We produce small batches of award-winning spirits.

  • The Yard - An outdoor community gathering space that will be programmed to host mobile food vendors, events, and workshops.

Social Venture Division:

• Grand Prize: Motivando Corazones Consulting - Motivando Corazones Consulting provides services in three crucial areas, Parenting Support, Childhood Education Trainings, and Women Empowerment conferences.

• Runners-Up (2): 

  • STEAM and Robotics for All - Robotics and STEM/STEAM opportunities for students in our community after school, on weekends and summer camps.

  • Mother Tree - an affordable recovery program for mothers experiencing mental health challenges before or after pregnancy.

Student Division:

• Grand Prize: Tallyrus  - Tallyrus is a web application that leverages AI to evaluate essays, significantly reducing the time teachers spend on grading. It allows for quick feedback and student self-assessment.

The Startup Challenge new venture competition is held each year by the CSU, Monterey Bay Institute for Innovation and Economic Development. The Challenge provides coaching, feedback, and workshops to the participants and employs over 50 business experts who volunteer as coaches and judges each year. Major supporters and sponsors of the Challenge were Linqto, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, BlueTech Valley, and Brooksher Properties.

The Institute for Innovation and Economic Development (iiED) is a community outreach program of the College of Business at CSUMB. Supported through community contributions, sponsorships, and grants, the iiED staff, faculty, students, and business volunteers have worked with over 4,800 aspiring entrepreneurs, supported over 1000 startup companies which have created over 600 jobs and have raised over $150 million in capital.