Eastern Oregon Innovation Jam

This Innovation Jam is a hands-on, two-day experience open to Oregon college students and recent graduates from any major, plus eligible high school students and community members interested in innovation. Collaborate, explore ideas and build something together. No business experience or big idea required. Compete for cash prizes and a chance at $30,000 in the InventOR Finals.

Hosted at Eastern Oregon University, coordinated by Oregon Frontier Innovation Hub & REV

Design & Build Regional Innovation Jam

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No idea? No problem.

You do not have to be an entrepreneur, a business major or the person with the million-dollar idea.

At our innovation jam, you’ll work with other students to identify an inconvenience or tackle a problem, come up with ideas and build something together. You’ll meet mentors, learn new skills and get a chance to pitch what your team creates.

Basically: show up curious. Figure out the rest as you go.

🏆 Win cash:

  • 1st place: $500

  • 2nd & 3rd: $250 each

Make it to the InventOR Finals and your team could compete for $30,000 in cash and prizes.

Any major. Any discipline. No business experience required.

@interestingengineering

Grain Weevil is an American-built robot designed to do one of farming's most dangerous jobs — managing grain inside storage bins — so farmers never have to climb in. Founded in Omaha, Nebraska by father-son duo Chad and Ben Johnson, the roughly 2-foot-long robot uses two augers to skim across the grain surface, creating a "controlled avalanche" that levels, breaks up crusts, and keeps grain flowing. Farmers control it from outside the bin, away from the risk of entrapment, auger entanglement, falls, and dust that causes Farmer's Lung. #GrainWeevil #Robotics #FarmSafety #Agriculture

♬ interestingengineering - orijinal ses - interestingengineering
@the.viral.archive How do you come up with something like that? #interestingfacts #fyp #picture #viral ♬ pure imagination - Adonai Michel
@npr With the help of his mentor, a 12-year-old in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan is building a robot to help him learn the Ojibwe language, an endangered Native American Language. #NPR ♬ original sound - npr
@safelyselfdefense

What do you think? 👀

♬ original sound - safely
@rothidtag In an emergency, having the right information at the right time can make all the difference. ❤️ ROTH ID TAG is designed to help first responders quickly access important child and emergency contact information, helping bridge the gap between families when seconds matter. #rothidtag #collaboration #parents #fyp 🎥: @Olivia Claunch ♬ original sound - ROTH ID TAG, LLC
@arch_inside In a city buried under metres of snow, these houses sank the middle of their roofs on purpose. A steep roof throws the snow down, but the heap buries the windows and the door, crushes the neighbour's fence, and in Hokkaido's packed streets there is no land to drop it on at all. Melt it with heating cables and it refreezes into giant icicles and bursts the drainpipe. Shed it and you are buried; melt it and it bursts. What the architects did instead is in the video. #hokkaido #sapporo #snow #roof #architecture ♬ 오리지널 사운드 - arch_atlas - Arch Inside
@baynews9

A Polk State College graduate has created a unique invention that aims to revolutionize bathing for people who need additional assistance. Terrance King has developed the Clean Box, an autonomous bathing machine designed to handle the entire process from start to finish. He built the Clean Box in honor of his late grandmother, Betty Ball, who lived in an assisted living facility. King says she died in 2021 after developing infected bedsores. Her death, he says, left him determined to find ways to improve care for seniors and people with disabilities.

♬ original sound - Spectrum Bay News 9
@ai.honeycove So this $4,000 autonomous robot toilet uses advanced LiDAR and sensors to assist people with limited mobility, offering remote or voice control, built-in cleaning, and odor management. It’s a smart solution improving bathroom independence and easing caregiver duties with cutting-edge tech inspired by robot vacuums. #robottoilet #assistivetechnology #smartbathroom #mobilityaid #robotvacuumtech ♬ original sound - AI Honeycove
@aaronparnas1 #greenscreenvideo ♬ original sound - Aaron Parnas
@aiconversations

🤯 24 strangers hugged this robot without being asked to. ✅ Cuddle Fish floats on helium and flaps carbon fiber fins instead of spinning propellers ✅ It has no face on purpose, dodging the uncanny valley almost human robots trigger ✅ Its soft body gives way on contact, so bumping into it never hurts anyone The friendliest robot you'll ever own might not walk. It might float. Follow for more stories like this. 👇 All content created with @getmakeit #AI #Robotics #FutureTech #Innovation

♬ original sound - aiconversation

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Eastern Oregon Innovation Jam is a Regional Innovation Jam powered by InventOR, Oregon’s only statewide collegiate prototyping challenge. Using a lean startup approach, students develop confidence and competence in three core areas:

    • Design Thinking

    • Business Modeling

    • Storytelling & Pitching

    Students work in teams to explore problems worth solving, build and test early prototypes, and learn how to adapt ideas based on real user feedback.

    No prototype? No problem.
    The only requirement is curiosity and a willingness to try.

  • Students who take part in the Eastern Oregon Innovation Jam will:

    • Develop ideas addressing real-world challenges, no matter how big or smaill

    • Learn by doing through a structured design-and-build sprint led by area business leaders, faculty, and mentors

    • Collaborate with peers from different academic areas, interests, and backgrounds

    • Gain access to mentors and industry professionals

    • Compete for advancement to InventOR 2027

    This experience is designed to meet students where they are—and help them see what’s possible.

  • Winning teams from each participating institution will advance to InventOR 2027, where they’ll receive:

    • 💡 $2,000 prototyping grant

    • ✈️ Travel, lodging, and meals covered for InventOR Bootcamp and Finals

    • 🤝 One-on-one guidance from a dedicated InventOR Advisor

    • 🎤 Pitch coaching and mentorship from industry experts

    • 🌱 Experiential entrepreneurship education at InventOR Bootcamp

    • 🏆 A chance to compete for $30,000 in cash and prizes at the InventOR Finals Pitch Competition & Prototype Exhibition

    In addition, the Eastern Oregon Innovation Jam will award:

    • $500 for first place

    • $250 each for second and third place

  • Faculty, professionals, and community leaders are invited to support student teams and help strengthen Eastern Oregon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

    We’re seeking volunteers in the following roles:

    Mentors

    Help students build confidence and problem-solving skills by asking thoughtful questions, offering perspective, and encouraging iteration. Mentors guide students to fall in love with the problem—not the solution.

    Time commitment:

    • Feb. 28 | 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

    • Apr. 4 | 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

    • 1–2 hours between sessions (virtual or in person)

    Business Model Canvas Instructors

    Guide teams through assessing the viability and sustainability of their ideas using the Business Model Canvas. Help students shift from “What if this works?” to “How does this create value?”

    Time commitment:

    • Feb. 28 | 2:00–4:00 p.m.

    • Optional: Apr. 4 | 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

    Storytelling & Pitch Development Instructors

    Support students in communicating ideas clearly, confidently, and compellingly. This session emphasizes clarity and resonance over polish—because good ideas deserve to be understood.

    Time commitment:

    • Feb. 28 | 3:00–5:00 p.m.

    • Apr. 4 | 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

    Judges

    Serve on a judging panel to evaluate student teams and select those advancing to InventOR Finals. Judges assess prototypes, team progress, and potential impact through pitches and a public prototype exhibition.

  • The main entity is Invent Oregon - a launchpad for the next generation of innovators. As Oregon’s only statewide collegiate prototyping challenge, InventOR empowers students to design solutions rooted in empathy, curiosity, and real user needs focusing on what people actually want, not just what sounds good.

  • If you’re a student who is interested, contact Carter Gudell
    Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builder
    Oregon Frontier Innovation Hub
    cgudell@revcenter.org | (860) 899-8395

    If you are a faculty member interested in hosting a classroom visit or presentation to discuss the innovation jam, contact Carter Gudell
    Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builder
    Oregon Frontier Innovation Hub
    cgudell@revcenter.org | (860) 899-8395

    If you are intersted in being a mentor, contact
    Carter Gudell
    Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builder
    Oregon Frontier Innovation Hub
    cgudell@revcenter.org | (860) 899-8395

  • The REV Center, home of the Oregon Frontier Innovation Hub which coordinates the innovation jam, supports innovation-based entrepreneurs in Eastern Oregon by expanding access to resources, technical assistance, and funding. Hosting the Eastern Oregon Innovation Jam aligns directly with this mission and is made possible through support from Business Oregon.