Iona Innovation Challenge

WELCOME TO THE SPRING 2025 IONA INNOVATION CHALLENGE!

The Hynes Institute is excited to present the 8th annual Iona Innovation Challenge (IIC), which will be BIGGER & BETTER! This year's prize amount totals up to $20,000!

What's IIC about? Students creating solutions addressing real-world problems. After completing three milestones, they have the chance to compete in a pitch competition.

Spring 2024 Kickoff Event Panel with prior IIC participants

Idea Generation Workshop facilitated by Robert Kissner & John-Tsampalis

Spring 2024 IIC Participant Jared Balcacer presenting at the Final Pitch event

Spring 2024 IIC Kickoff Event Hynes Institute Team with Keynote Speaker Charissa O'Connor

Spring 2024 IIC Meet the Mentors

Spring 2024 Kickoff Event

Spring 2024 Meet the Mentors CEO Board Members speaking with New Rochelle Community Mentor

Spring 2024 Meet the Mentors: Student Ryan Doyle speaking with alumnus Juan Cadille

Storytelling Workshop

Students attending the Storytelling Workshop

Spring 2024 IIC Final Pitch Judges (left to right) Tony Goncalves ‘95, Marina Falisi ‘17, ‘18MBA, Maz Malik ‘07, '10MBA

PRIZE MONEY

Iona students have an opportunity to win BIGGER than ever this Spring 2025!

$20,000 Prize Breakdown

• 1st place - $10,000
• 2nd place - $5,000
• 3rd place - $3,000

Fan Favorite Contest - $1,000 – Milestone 1 (1-minute video pitch) with the most likes/engagement on their video (to be uploaded to the Hynes Institute page) is selected as the Fan Favorite.

Superlative Awards - $1,000 ($1,000 total) Pitches will be selected at the judge's discretion for the superlative award giving honorable mention to outstanding solutions. 

Total cash prizes: $20,000*

*As per Internal Revenue Service regulations, prizes and awards are treated as taxable income to the employee, student or non-employee that receives them. The value of gifts, prizes and awards provided to students, fellows, residents, and other nonemployees will be reported on Form 1099 if aggregate taxable payments received by such.

WHY PARTICIPATE?

Empathize: Everyone has a problem. 

Define: Identify the problem that you want to solve. 

Ideate: Work with a robust network to help discover a solution to your problem, receive support and feedback. 

Prototype: Attend workshops, networking events, and participate in coworking to bring your idea to life.

Test: Complete the milestones and present at the Pitch Practice Session for final feedback and a chance to compete at the final event.  

Win BIG! Finalists compete at the Final Pitch Competition for a chance to win awards totaling $20,000!

Have Fun! Take your ideas to the next level. Enjoy the process, meet new people, learn to DREAM, CREATE, and LEAD the world through innovation!

Learn about our mentoring support for students at the Hynes Institute. 

Spring 2024 IIC Highlights

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?

• All Iona undergraduate and graduate students! A valid @iona.edu email address is required to enter the competition.
• Students can enter individually or as a team with other students.
• Students can only submit one idea.

STAY UP TO DATE

1. Attend IIC Kickoff Event in Spring 2025
2. Submit your milestones:
   1. Milestone 1: 1-minute Video Pitch
   2. Milestone 2: Executive Summary
   3. Milestone 3: Pitch Slide Deck
3. Connect with your paired mentors for feedback
4. Finalists will be notified by mid-April
5. Finalists present at the Final Pitch Event during the first week of May*

7 YEARS OF IONA INNOVATION CHALLENGE

Launched in 2018, the Iona Innovation Challenge is an annual student competition where solutions are presented that address real-world problems. At Iona, we want to make sure that students from all disciplines have a platform to collaboratively explore creative ways to solve the big challenges of today. Every spring semester, students work on their ideas by completing three (3) milestones and gaining valuable feedback through working with mentors from a variety of fields. Students have the opportunity to utilize our resources and bring their ideas to life. At the completion of the milestones, finalists will then pitch to a panel of judges for a chance to win cash prizes.

Spring 2024 IIC Winners & Judges

Spring 2023 IIC Winners & Judges

Spring 2022 IIC Winners.

Spring 2021 IIC Winners & Judges.

Spring 2020 IIC Winners & Judges.

Spring 2019 IIC Winners & Judges.

PAST IONA IIC WINNERS

IIC Year 2024

First Place & Fan Favorite: Balcacer's Bouquets by Jared Balcacer ‘26

Third Place: Talk Track, Kathleen Casey ‘24

Most Innovative Superlative: Thriveability, Alyson Goodman ‘25MSOT

Second Place: On the Hook, Ryan Doyle ‘27

Social Impact Superlative: New Beginnings, Yasser Amin Sequeira Blandon ‘26 & Noa Solorio ‘25

The 2024 Iona Innovation Challenge was a remarkable event, with twenty-three (23) teams and thirty-one (31) student participants. Nine (9) teams comprised of thirteen (13) students, advanced to the finals and presented their solutions to a panel of judges.

Judges: James P. Hynes ‘69, ‘01H, Anne Marie Hynes, Esq., Marina Falisi ‘17, ‘18MBA, Tony Goncalves ‘95, and Maz Malik ‘07, ‘10MBA