Student-run SCAD Startup Competition Underway
SCAD Startup is the Savannah College of Art and Design’s annual, week-long design sprint hosted by FLUX in collaboration with SCADPRO. The event, which is run by a team of 15 SCAD students this year, is a competition for teams of undergrad and graduate students across any major in Savannah, Atlanta, or SCAD’s e-learning program. Participating students get to create and design a startup idea based around the event’s central them, and at the end of the sprint, pitch their design to a panel of judges for the chance to win from a prize pool valued at over $40,000.
The event’s tagline, A Competition for Innovation and Growth, perfectly encapsulates the experience. Whether students win or not, they are taking away a whole new set of skills and knowledge.
Students enter as a team or are assigned a team and starting on the first day of the design sprint begin creating and collaborating on their idea. Over the course of the week, teams receive guidance and feedback from industry experts who serve as their mentors. This year 34 mentors from companies such as MailChimp, Spotify, Apple, Intuit, Adobe, and more will be offering their insights to students. Teams will also have the opportunity to attend educational sessions on subjects like coding, storytelling, product design, visual design, etc. to help them throughout the sprint. Deliverables include a pitch deck, a 30-second video explaining their team’s idea, a solid business model, and what they call the WOW Factor – or in other words, what makes an idea stand out from the rest. Overall, SCAD Startup is an opportunity for students to make connections with the industry professionals mentoring them, get experience collaborating with other students on a big idea, flex their design skills, learn new skills in workshops, garner experience pitching their idea, and ultimately add to their portfolio of experience.
The opportunity to impress the panel of judges is also a bid deal. To name a few, judges will include Stacey Burr (VP of Product at Google), Teslim A (Product Design Lead at Netflix), Luke Li (Global Creative Lead at Ikea), and many more inspiring individuals. Click here to see the full list.
In its seventh year running, the event is set to see over 300 students from more than 30 majors divided over 60 teams participate. This year’s event, which kicked off on February 4th, is currently underway. The semi-finals take place on Friday, February 11th, from 11 am – 1:30 pm. Judges will then select the finalist who will pitch again from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm with a winners announcement at 5:00 pm
To learn more about SCAD Startup visit the event page here.
About SCADPro:
SCADpro is a collaborative design studio that connects current and future art and design professionals with business leaders to find creative and inventive solutions to real-world challenges.
About FLUX:
A student-run organization from the Savannah College of Art and Design. FLUX exists to foster a community of leaders and problem-solvers through UX Design.
