In a surprise twist, elementary school students decided the winners of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's eighth annual Innovation Challenge, hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship. Teams of students from six colleges across campus used entrepreneurial techniques and artificial intelligence tools to design products that help 10- to 12-year-olds take their vitamins without parental reminders.
The 33 competitors represented the Colleges of Business, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Journalism and Mass Communications, and Hixon-Lied Fine and Performing Arts. They built child personas for feedback and developed paper prototypes to bring their concepts to life.
“This is entrepreneurship by doing," said Samantha Fairclough, associate professor of practice in management who creates a new challenge each year. "Experimentation and prototyping are fundamental to the entrepreneurial process. You put ideas in the hands of potential customers and ask, ‘Would this solve your problem?”
Marcus Helland, junior in hospitality, restaurant and tourism management major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, arrived at the competition with an open mind, knowing it was a class requirement.
“I thought I'd be sitting in a classroom listening to someone lecture for seven hours. Instead, I was glad to be designing, using our brains and getting hands-on experience while catering to a younger crowd," he said.
The elementary-age judges forced competitors to shift from polished, academic pitches to kid-friendly presentations.
“When the kids walked in as judges, it was a little nerve-racking,” said Analise Erlbacher, senior computer science and management major from Papillion, Nebraska. “We had prepared a pitch for adult judges, so we had to adapt fast.”
After the pitches, the judges asked about cost, design, colors and more. They ultimately selected the team made up of Emma Casadei, a senior marketing and business analytics major from Bellaria, Italy; Slade Reese, a junior advertising and public relations major from Spring, Texas; and Nikolay Sysoev, a senior business administration major from Sarasota, Florida.
Their winning concept was Zippy, an interactive reminder device that plays music and offers gentle cues to take vitamins.
“The key to our win was choosing the name Zippy and making it interactive,” Casadei said. “Kids don’t want to be treated like little kids. They want technology and independence.”
Sysoev shared how the team originally designed Zippy as a music-stopping speaker but changed course after feedback from a child tester.
“At first, our prototype wasn't good,” said Sysoev. “The kid who tested it told us he liked it better as a friend who reminds you, not a boss who stops your music.”
Reese added that adjusting their pitch also made the difference.
“All kids want to act a little more grown up. When pitching, we changed our presentation to fit their age group,” he said. “Knowing your audience really matters, and it’s something you always hear in class, but this challenge made it real.”
The young judges enjoyed their roles and also left with new impressions of the university.
“I want to go to the university later, so I wanted to see how this experience works,” said Raegan Schultz of Pyrtle Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska. “I also sometimes forget to take my vitamins, so this project was about something I could really use. There were so many things I didn’t expect to see, and they all did a great job.”
Her fellow judge, Silas Rodriguez of Arnold Elementary School in Lincoln, said the hardest part was getting acclimated around so many college students as they pitched their ideas. However, he listened closely to their ideas to select a winner.
“The deciding factor was that Zippy was a companion who could play music,” Rodriguez said. “It was really nice meeting all the people and telling the college students who won.”
The Innovation Challenge attracts students from various disciplines who seek to develop their teamwork skills in a customer-focused design environment and adapt to new situations and feedback.
“Being able to actually build something with our hands after brainstorming together was the best part, and we also had to adapt once we saw who the judges were,” Erlbacher said.
Fairclough said that’s exactly the point, and no matter if the students adjusted or not, they now know for the next time.
“Entrepreneurship isn't only about the idea. It's about using tried and true things and bringing in new technology,” she said. “It’s about testing, learning and adapting, and knowing your audience ... and, sometimes, your best customer feedback comes from a child.”
