Creating a platform for local innovative, entrepreneurial students to unite and compete — with $30,000 in cash and prizes ultimately at stake — the “Design & Build Regional Innovation Jam” will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, at Central Oregon Community College’s Cascades Hall, hosted by Economic Development for Central Oregon, with support from COCC and Oregon State University-Cascades. Register and learn more at bit.ly/Innovation_Jam_
Free and open to current college students, new college alumni, community entrepreneurs and high schoolers with a minimum of 12 college credits completed, participants will engage in a design sprint workshop to develop a physical prototype addressing a real-world problem, culminating in a pitch competition.
Participants don’t need an idea or a team to participate. The event is intentionally structured so that problem statements, solutions and teams emerge organically.
Students will be encouraged to collaborate and learn, all while vying for prizes. The winning team may earn an invitation to compete at the statewide InventOR Finals Pitch Competition & Prototype Exhibition held on June 26 at OSU-Cascades, with $30,000 in cash and prizes at stake. The winning team will also be given the opportunity to present at the 2026 Bend Venture Conference in October. Each team must have at least two members, one of whom must be a student.
“This event is dedicated to supporting student innovators who attend COCC and OSU-Cascades in the early stages of their entrepreneurial journeys,” explained Rita Hansen, director of innovation & entrepreneurship at EDCO. “The one-day event will be a dynamic design-and-build sprint workshop that cultivates an entrepreneurial mindset while connecting students with resources and mentors to bring their ideas to life.”
For more information, contact Agatha Ventura, interim director of COCC’s Small Business Development Center, at 541-318-3701 or aventura2@cocc.edu, or Rita Hansen, EDCO’s director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, at 541-388-3236 or rita@edcoinfo.com.
In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability should contact campus services at 541-383-7775. For accommodation because of other disability such as hearing impairment, contact student accessibility services at sas@cocc.edu or 541-383-7583.
