A total of 10 teams of aspiring Region high school innovators will compete for a spot in the finals of the Innovate WithIN competition in June.

Purdue University Northwest and the Society of Innovators at PNW will host the Innovate WithIN Region 6 Finals in a virtual event set for 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on April 20. The virtual event will be livestreamed on the Innovate WithIN Facebook page.

Seven teams from Hobart High School and three teams from Valparaiso High School are competing in the Region 6 finals. More than 250 students representing 12 high schools from across Northwest Indiana applied for this year’s competition.

Innovate WithIN, now in its fourth year, gives students the opportunity to create their own business plans and showcase entrepreneurial ideas throughout the state. The overall winners each receive a $10,000 cash prize, $10,000 toward one year of in-state tuition, college scholarship award opportunities, internship opportunities and mentoring services.

“We are excited about the Northwest Indiana Innovate WithIN region, because it went from being the smallest competition in the state to the most robust,” said Don Wettrick, founder and CEO of STARTedUP Foundation. “It has also produced the last two state winners (and) clearly, Northwest Indiana is a testament to what a community coming together to support its youth can accomplish to foster innovation in the region.”

Hobart High School students Megan Jones, Joshua Breitsprecher and Abigale Haluska took first place in the 2020 Innovate WithIN statewide competition.

“Innovation and entrepreneurship are core values at Purdue Northwest,” said Kenneth Holford, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Purdue Northwest. “It our pleasure to be able to support students from Northwest Indiana as they take part in this competition.”

Purdue Northwest is offering additional incentives to participants and winners of Innovate WithIN who enroll at the university:

• A one-year (non-renewable) full-tuition scholarship will be offered to first place winners (at the NWI regional competition) once the winner is enrolled as a full-time student at PNW.
• A one-year full tuition and room and board scholarship will be offered to first place winners at the state competition once the winner is enrolled as a full-time student at PNW.
• A $250 book scholarship will be offered to any Innovate WithIN participant who registers as a full-time student at PNW.
• Students whose teams place (first, second or third) at the regional and/or state competition will have an opportunity to intern with the Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest or the NWI Small Business Development Center, if they enroll as a degree-seeking student at PNW.