Crossroads

idea competition

Two prizes! $2,500 Flywheel Fund investment for the overall winner

$1,000 stand-alone cash prize for the Climate Resiliency Award from Duke Energy Foundation

subscribeapply by December 6

Spotlight Sponsor

Every great business starts with a great idea. Before there’s a minimum viable product, before customers and revenue, before investors, there’s a spark of innovation,  a flash of insight, a moment of inspiration.

The Crossroads Idea Competition is your chance to showcase that idea and get feedback from expert judges. After that, you can take your idea into a pre-accelerator like B-Start, then into Mill Cohorts, then on to gBETA! Who knows, maybe you’ll even find yourself pitching at Crossroads Pitch Competition someday.

And if you win the Crossroads Idea Competition, you’ll take home $2,500 from Flywheel Fund! (Psst: you’ll need to set up a business entity, but no worries, we’ll help.)

This year we also have a $1,000 cash prize for the Climate Resiliency Award, courtesy of Duke Energy Foundation. All contestants will be considered for both awards, and yes, it’s possible someone could win both!

Need some inspiration on what makes a great idea? Check out this blog post. Then take the plunge and apply!

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OCTOBER 30

applications open

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DECEMBER 6

deadline to apply–NO EXTENSIONS!

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DECEMBER 11-15

semifinals (asynchronous)

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DECEMBER 20

finals live over Zoom

Supporting Sponsors

City of Bloomington logo

Fueling early-stage innovation is especially important for increasing access to entrepreneurial opportunity. Your sponsorship of the Crossroads Idea Competition opens the door to opportunity a little wider!

2023 Judges

Entries were reviewed by a respected panel of Indiana entrepreneurs and investors.

Emily Atkinson

Emily Atkinson

IU Ventures | Venture Analyst

Dave Bittner

Dave Bittner

West Central Indiana Small Business Development Center | Rural Business Advisor

Liz Cook Irwin

Liz Cook Irwin

Duke Energy | Government & Community Relations Manager

Brooke Deram

Brooke Deram

Tomato Fish Marketing / redMAP | CEO & Founder

Christopher Emge

Christopher Emge

Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce | Director of Advocacy & Public Policy

Kate Evinger

Kate Evinger

IU Ventures | Associate Director of the IU Angel Network & Senior Venture Analyst

Samantha Ginther

Samantha Ginther

High Alpha | Associate

Adam Gross

Adam Gross

Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington | Vice Chancellor

Blake Mathias

Blake Mathias

Indiana University, Kelley School of Business | Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship

Neil Metzger

Neil Metzger

BC Forward | Business Consultant

Joyce Poling

Joyce Poling

Gayle and Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship| Asst to the Chancellor

Cerwin Rush

Cerwin Rush

Data Enablement Leader | Crush Corporation

Ellie Symes

Ellie Symes

The Bee Corp | CEO

Michael Waterford

Michael Waterford

Ivy Tech Community College | Talent Connection Manager & Adjunct Faculty

Audrey Wessel

Audrey Wessel

Gutwein Law | Attorney

Logan White

Logan White

gener8tor | Program Manager