THE GREAT OUTDOORS IS CALLING ALL UTAH STARTUPS
– $30K contest designed to spur new startups in Utah’s burgeoning outdoor recreation industry –
SALT LAKE CITY, March 19th, 2015 – Utah is known for its spectacular outdoor recreation and its entrepreneurial spirit, so it’s only natural to combine the two. With that, Grow Utah recently announced its 7th annual Outdoor Recreation “Concept to Company” Innovation Contest to award local outdoor product innovators with cash and services to get their idea off the ground.
Co-hosted by Beehive Startups and Zions Bank, Grow Utah’s Outdoor Recreation C2C contest is open to all Utah residents with a product or service innovation in the outdoor activities of hiking, camping, biking, paddlesports, snowsports and more. Innovations will be judged by industry expert and three winners will be awarded a share of $30,000 in cash and services to help them get their idea off the ground.
“Utah is an incredible place to start a business, especially in the outdoor industry” said T. Craig Bott, president & CEO of Grow Utah. “Where else can you build an outdoor product. test it right out your back door, and then find interested investors, manufacturing providers, talented workforce, shipping infrastructure, and everything else you need to succeed. It’s all right here in Utah and we want to encourage more innovators to step forward and succeed here.”
The cash prizes will be funded by the Grow Utah, NorthFront Business Resource Center and SEED Weber-Davis-Morgan. The service prizes will be offered by local law firms, prototype designers and others. Other industry partners and supporters, such as GOED’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, will also contribute time and resources.
“We saw some really incredible startups at last year’s event”, said Tara McKee of the Governor’s Office of Outdoor Recreation. “With so many great companies starting here in Utah, the judges had a really tough decision. I’m sure we’ll experience that again this year as well. Utah is a great mix of outdoor enthusiasts and innovators.”
The Outdoor Rec contest is part of the “Concept to Company” competitions which are Utah’s premier ongoing innovation contests. They are held in various regions across the state with each contest focusing on a different industry. Winning entrepreneurs receive significant cash awards as well as mentoring services from leading professional service partners. To date, the contests have distributed more than $875,000 in prize money and services amongst 22 contests and have helped launch over 140 companies.
Applications for the Outdoor Rec contest must be received by May 3rd. To apply, visit: www.ConceptToCompany.org
About Grow Utah
Grow Utah, is a privately funded non-profit organization dedicated to accelerate the creation of innovative, entrepreneur-led, high-growth businesses that will strengthen and expand the future growth of Utah’s economy.
With the support of Zions Bank, the vision of Grow Utah is to create a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem in Utah that fosters entrepreneurial talent, drives innovation to solve market needs, aligns community resources and support, and ensures funding for products, entrepreneurs and businesses of promise. www.GrowUtah.com
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PR Contacts:
Justin Bott
Grow Utah
(801) 593-2269
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