You never forget your first — two.
The first two teams of InventOR competitors were selected this month from a field of students pitching ideas as part of Lewis & Clark College's Winterim pitch competition program.
Watch this space for more information about the teams — Grounded, a smart flooring invention for for use in assisted living facilities and retail stores, and Sueño Sweatshirt, a weighted garment designed to reduce stress and improve sleep.
The teams will be joined in the coming months with teams from 16 other colleges and universities from across the state. That initial field of 34 teams will receive $500 teach to develop their prototypes and participate in the InventOR semifinal round, May 17, 18, and 19.
From there, the road to InventOR advances with just 20 teams remaining — one team from each school, plus three wildcard teams. They will receive $2,000 each to fine tune their prototype for the InventOR final which will be held June 28 at Portland State's Viking Pavilion.
It's on.