by John Michael O'Leary
What sparks the entrepreneurial spirit? What feeds a passion for business? How does one best measure profit? These are weighty questions, the kind that occupy Bryan Bourdeau, instructor in business and part of the Romain College of Business’ entrepreneurial minor. Every year since 2011, Bourdeau and local visionaries have gathered for Startup Weekend Evansville, held on USI’s campus. Over the course of 54 hours, teams form around ideas and push them to failure or plausibility. Ultimately, ideas adjudged worthy receive prizes for idea development.
“Traditionally, we’ve taken an anything-goes approach to what can be considered for funding,” says Bourdeau. “This year, colleague Dr. Kevin Celuch, professor of marketing, and I shifted the focus to social innovation, namely health issues in Vanderburgh County.”
With the change in direction, Romain College collaborated with USI’s College of Nursing and Health Professions and held the event in the Health Sciences Building. Bourdeau says the results were positive. “We had close to 100 people and generated 24 unique ideas.”
The top ideation at Startup Weekend Evansville 8.0 was STEI, a tracking device for individuals with dementia who wander off from caretakers. The device can track these individuals within one meter, provide vitals while tracking and automatically alert first responders and rescue personnel.
Among the concepts that made it to the final round: Leap, after-school ride-sharing for students; Holistically Hoosier Health & Wellness, services for mental and physical health; and Care 4 Me, a means to ensure homebound elderly follow medical instructions. At the finish, three ideas stood: a device for caregivers to track movements and vital signs of patients with dementia; a mobile app to mitigate driving under the influence; and a product to counter food insecurity. Read more about the event here.
The Next Thing?
In July, Bourdeau took an opportunity while traveling overseas to visit a summer study abroad program—the European Innovation Academy. He participated during one week of a month-long growth-accelerator session in Cascais, Portugal, along with 500 students on 203 teams.
“The academy works solely on social innovation,” says Bourdeau. “The aim is to bring forward ideas that can affect a billion people with technology solutions—and have those business ideas valued at 100 million euros or more.”
The experience reinforced the impulse Bourdeau had followed for Startup Weekend Evansville 8.0 a few months earlier. And it got him thinking about how the College’s emphasis on innovation might evolve to create bigger and better opportunities for students by potentially employing this study-abroad program.
“Startup Weekend has had a big influence on southwest Indiana’s innovation ecosystem,” says Bourdeau. “Other groups have followed in a similar fashion, which is good for students, community and local business.”
But, says Bourdeau, there is no denying the big problems facing people all over the world—things like emissions, transportation, hunger, and needs for clean energy and water. All represent opportunities for innovation. “We need to think about how to better engage our students in answering big social problems, and how the solutions themselves can connect to viable business opportunities.”
"The College has a leadership role for innovation in our community—and an opportunity to work with and learn from other entrepreneurial actors on a global scale. The possibilities are exciting.”
- Bryan Bourdeau, instructor in business