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innovationUTAH.com

Linking Utah's Innovation Community

Spurring Regional Innovation through Concept to Company

Since July 2008, USTAR Technology Outreach centers have supported Concept to Company (C2C) contests and winners across the state.

 

C2C competitions are ongoing innovation contests held in various regions across Utah. The main objectives of C2C are to encourage and support Utah's entrepreneurial innovators to help them turn their concepts into a company. Each competition focuses on the unique entrepreneurial strengths of that particular region. To date, the Concept to Company contests have distributed more than $190,000 in prize money/services and helped nearly 20 companies and entrepreneurs bring their business idea to fruition.

The contests are organized and hosted by Grow Utah Ventures and Zions Bank. The premier sponsors of each contest are USTAR, Workman Nydegger, CFO Solutions and Ballard Spahr. Other local businesses may also provide sponsorship services for contests in that region.

Each contest identifies one grand prize winner and two runner-ups. At the winner’s request, USTAR and other service sponsors provide support in the form of marketing, product development, legal, financial and other consulting.

To view the most current contest, rules, and application information, visit www.concepttocompany.org.

Past contests include:

Past winners who have received support from USTAR and other sponsors speak highly of the experience:

"My experience with USTAR has been overwhelmingly positive!  Their expertise and resources have proven invaluable during a critical growth stage of my company, Invectus Biomedical, a business focused on medical device technologies to improve women's health.  USTAR helped me strategically assess my business and provided me with research and feedback that greatly increased my ability to market the Daisyclip product to investors.  I truly wish there were more programs like USTAR." - Annette McClellan, Invectus Biomedical, Salt Lake Biomedical Devices Contest

“Without USTAR, we’d still be in our garage trying to figure out how to find funding. USTAR assessed where we were, gave us some new tools, and pointed us to the right persons. I don’t know how we could have found, let alone afford the kind of business acumen that USTAR provides.” - Toby Hazelbaker, Ogwa, Northern Utah Outdoor Recreation Contest

"The Concept to Company contest experience was absolutely invaluable to the start of Flixify. This competition helped us refine our concept to the point of successfully launching our company." - Josh Aikens and Jeff Poulton, Flixify.com, Southern Utah Technology Contest

“After the Concept to Company competition, USTAR stepped in and provided invaluable help in assessing my market, building financial statements, and developing a promotion plan for my product.  Their help has been invaluable, especially as we seek financing and prepare for growth.” - Chris Wickliffe, WickWerks, Northern Utah Outdoor Recreation Contest

The Concept to Company Contest was a great opportunity for me to hone my "concept" into a clear and precise business idea...from marketing to key contacts to manufacturing ideas. This gave us tremendous momentum in moving the development of our product forward. In fact, we probably accomplished more in the four months after the contest than the two years prior. I'm very pleased that USTAR and its partners have worked hard to make this competition thrive especially during these trying economic times. The opportunities presented to budding entrepreneurs will pay dividends to the varied economic sectors of Utah for many years to come.” - Jared Loosli, Cool Cab, Southern Utah Technology Contest