We Celebrated the Future of Innovation at the ACTIVATED Showcase!

After 18 weeks of intense brainstorming, refining, and transforming their ideas into tangible prototypes, our IDEATE x ACTIVATE cohort took center stage at the ACTIVATED Showcase. With confidence and creativity, these young game-changers presented their startup business concepts, marking the culmination of their cohort.

Surrounded by a supportive community of family, mentors, and peers, they showcased remarkable growth in problem-solving, product development, and leadership. Their resilience, dedication, and ingenuity were on full display, proving that the next generation of innovators are ready to make an impact and prepared to redefine innovation.

Palette Pastries took home an award for the winning pitch with their creative fusion of art, activism, and fresh pastries, using their baked goods to spark meaningful conversations around social issues. Their winning pitch and pop-up coffee shop featuring a delicious chai raspberry tea left a lasting impression on the judges and audience alike.

Pioneer Wellness was voted as the audience favorite, earning praise for their app that offers on-demand access to therapy and business advice helping young entrepreneurs overcome emotional and practical hurdles while creating opportunities for collaboration.

A Special Thank You to Our Judges:

Lucy Brennan, Director at P33 Chicago
Oluwaseyi Olaleye, CEO/Founder of Organic Harvest Digital Inc.
Trenton Dunn, Director of ThinkChicago by World Business Chicago
Caralanay Cameron, MBA, CPC, CEO/Founder of PartnerWorks Innovations

Next Steps: The ACCELERATE Program

The journey doesn’t stop here. Our ACCELERATE Program offers students the opportunity to continue building their businesses and refining their pitching skills for a chance to earn seed funding. Alternatively, they can choose to intern at local Chicago businesses, gaining hands-on experience and strengthening their leadership skills.

Applications are open now! We can't wait to see where these young innovators go next. www.graymatterexperience.com/accelerate