Congratulations on winning first place at your school's competition! We’re excited to invite your team to represent your school in the InventOR 2025 program!
We look forward to hosting you in Portland and supporting your team throughout this exciting entrepreneurial journey. Get ready for an amazing experience with like-minded peers, hands-on entrepreneurship education, 1:1 mentorship, and valuable tools and resources to help bring your idea to life!
InventOR Program Overview
Invent Oregon is, first and foremost, an invention competition dedicated to supporting student innovators statewide in the early stages of their entrepreneurial journeys. We believe that an entrepreneurial mindset—rooted in design thinking, rapid prototyping, and storytelling—is just as critical as a concept’s potential impact. Our focus is on how a solution creates value in communities, as much as in the marketplace.
We empower students to transform ideas into reality, giving them firsthand experience in what it takes to launch and grow a successful venture.
At the core of our programs is the Entrepreneurial Mindset—teaching students to design for what people say they want, rather than what they think people need. Using the lean startup process, we help students develop competence and confidence in three key areas:
Design Thinking – A human-centered approach with rapid iterations based on user feedback
Business Modeling – A comprehensive assessment of a solution’s viability and sustainability
Storytelling – The ability to communicate ideas clearly, concisely, and in a compelling way
InventOR - What’s in It for Students?
Winning teams of the qualifying event from each partner school will be invited to InventOR 2025, where they receive:
$2,000 prototyping grant to develop their idea
Fully covered accommodations, meals, and reimbursement for travel for Bootcamp and Finals
1:1 guidance from a dedicated InventOR Advisor
1:1 mentorship and pitch coaching from industry experts
Experiential education in entrepreneurship at Bootcamp (May 2-4 in Portland)
Networking opportunities at Bootcamp & Finals Receptions
A chance to compete for $30,000 in cash and prizes at the InventOR Finals Pitch Competition & Prototype Exhibition (June 27th @ University of Portland)
InventOR Resources:
A few key eligibility notes:
Each team must have at least two members, one of whom must be a student
Solutions must be demonstrable with a physical prototype and address an environmental or social impact
Key Dates:
InventOR Bootcamp - May 2nd, 3rd, & 4th in Portland
InventOR Finals - June 26th & 27th at the University of Portland
NOTE - Wild Card Round: InventOR has been working hard to expand access to new schools and has at least 20 spots for winning teams this year. First place teams at InventOR qualifying events will automatically be invited to the 2025 InventOR Bootcamp & Finals. If InventOR does not secure participation from 20 teams from 20 different schools, we will open up the remaining spots to 2nd place teams to compete in a Wild Card Round for the chance to participate in 2025 InventOR. Details still TBD.
