TechPoint launches student support challenge
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – The state’s tech sector is launching a challenge designed to provide support to Indiana college students who have lost on-site summer internships because of the coronavirus pandemic. TechPoint says it will provide support to 500 college students with a five-week summer experience.
TechPoint says the Summer Opportunities for Students Challenge will help students strengthen résumés, demonstrate skills, and make professional connections. Students will work in teams on a COVID-related challenge. Additionally, each student who completes the program will receive a $500 stipend.
The challenge will involve nine real-world, pandemic-related topics, which include workplace and work-from-home environments, telehealth, and restaurants and small businesses, among others. TechPoint says teams will prepare a product prototype and go-to-market plan that creates solutions to COVID-related problems or that creates new opportunities and will be presented virtually to a TechPoint panel of judges.
“We wanted to do something bold, so we brought together our community of members and partners — the leaders among employers, universities, government and philanthropy and as usual, our community stepped up,” said Mike Langellier, TechPoint president and chief executive officer. “Our many years of experience working with our Xtern students in the ultimate summer internship program, put us in a unique position to find a creative way to help as many students as we could.”
Winners of the challenge will share a prize purse of $25,000. One winning team will be chosen from each of the nine challenge topics to receive $2,500 per team, and three teams will be selected to present to Governor Eric Holcomb.
Additionally, TechPoint says one team will win the $2,500 “fan favorite” award for most public votes.
The nonprofit says undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students can apply. The challenge begins June 15, and TechPoint says participants must apply by June 1.