UIX Blog: Competition breeds creativity in West Michigan

Several of the people and organizations UIX has covered in the past have entered and found success in different business competitions. These competitions each have different parameters and ends to promote, but they share a commonality in that the most innovative and well-planned out ideas rise to the top.

 

Here in Grand Rapids, 5x5 Night and Start Garden, projects of Rick DeVos, were topics when UIX launched in 2013. In December 2015 we featured 5x5 Night winner Liz Bartlett, of KNITit, and Start Garden tenant Oxx, Inc. Even ArtPrize has led to sustainable efforts covered in UIX, like Nick Rudolfski's work with the Zero Waste Zone and Water Share.

 

The Wege Prize, a contest focused on sustainable business models in West Michigan schools, was a feature in April 2014, and has been host to individuals featured in UIX stories, too. FusionGrow, an indoor planting project, took first place in 2014, and a local loop farm design by Western Sustainers won in 2015.

 

In January 2015 UIX covered Vanessa Gore and Soletics, a company that makes electrically enhanced, solar powered garments for people with certain conditions. Soletics had taken part in 11 business competitions by the time they were featured in Rapid Growth Media. Over the course of its first year, Soletics participated in six business competitions, including the Michigan Clean Energy Venture Challenge, the Green Light Business Model Competition, the Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest, and the International Business Model Competition.

 

In the 2014 MWest Challenge, where Soletics took second place and $10,000, RefuTea, a tea company that helps refugees, won the Social Venture award. RefuTea also won a 90-second pitch competition at Grand Valley State University, and represented the school at the TCU Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures Business Plan Competition.

 

That's not to say that competitions like these are the only thing driving innovation in the region. Our archives are filled with plenty of people and companies that have growth in many different ways. But, the pattern that exists is clear, and West Michigan is certainly all the better for the ideas these contests foster.

Urban Innovation Exchange highlights the people and projects transforming West Michigan through sustainable efforts. To see more UIX stories, you can check out the entire series here. Have thoughts or ideas about UIX? Contact UIX Grand Rapids Editor Matthew Russell at [email protected].