Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Volusia Innovation Challenge crowns Beyond Bound Studios with $10,000 prize
Summary
Brad Harris of Volusia County Economic Development told the board the county—ompetition drew 39 applicants after opening to all residents; Beyond Bound Studios won the $10,000 top prize, with a $5,000 second-place award and a $2,000 crowd-favorite prize.
Brad Harris, with Volusia County Economic Development, reported to the board on the Volusia Innovation Challenge, which this year opened from a college-only contest to all county residents. Harris said the competition drew 39 applicants and proceeded through workshops, preliminary and semifinal rounds to a finals event at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.
"So they ended up winning the $10,000 prize which was great," Harris said, naming Beyond Bound Studios as the top winner and describing other finalists, including an analog finance-training board game called Mr. Market and a crowd-favorite, Be Well Therapeutics, whose founders have tested a beeswax-infused fabric for treating eczema. Harris said the event also featured vertical farming entries and that some participants have already secured federal grant funding to continue development.
Harris told the board the county plans to make the Innovation Challenge an annual event and will provide feedback to all applicants to help them move ideas forward. Members praised the diversity of entries and noted potential links to local workforce and business-development programs.
