Idea Challenge 2015 - making Wilmington better

Seven teams of smart, talented, creative people came together to see who could come up with the best ideas to make Wilmington a more attractive place for young professionals and support businesses in the city.

The 2015 Idea Challenge coordinated by the Technology Forum of Delaware was a great success - and Downtown Visions is a proud sponsor of the event and the winning team from Start It Up Delaware.

Here's just some of the comments from the media:

The large open space at 1313 Innovation was overflowing with people. They sat in groups and scribbled ideas on the dry-erase walls, doodled on large pads of paper, planned out scripts and gathered large stools and panda bean-bag chairs for props.

                        - Technical.ly Delaware

The winner of this year's contest was a nine-member team from Start It Up Delaware that proposed installing solar-powered interactive kiosks, called Beacons, that would direct residents and visitors to events and happenings in the city. Those locally-manufactured and designed kiosks would provide free WiFi and cell phone charging, direct commuters to available parking spaces, offer "heat maps" of real-time nightlife activity and live camera feeds to connect neighborhoods. The concept also could be used as the basis for quarterly Burn the Beacon events, sort of like mini-versions of Burning Man, the annual self-expression festival in Nevada.

                      - News Journal

Ken Anderson, of the Delaware Economic Development Office, said the Idea Challenge is important as a way to bring start-up businesses to the state. Such businesses have been the source of many of the new jobs created in recent decades, Anderson said.

                        - Delaware Business Daily

I'm excited to see the kind of energy, innovation, and passion we're seeing at events like this in Downtown Wilmington.

Marty