TheStage: A Launchpad for Students

MAKO Design + Invent loves to support young inventors and innovators. They are our future and we learn from them just as much as they learned from us. In recent years the Canadian entrepreneurship community has grown significantly and is becoming a great place for young individuals to get support and be prepared for their future journey as innovators.

Last October, MAKO helped facilitate The MAKO-SAGE Innovation Hack event in partnership with SAGE Canada.  SAGE is an international non-profit organization that promotes entrepreneurial initiatives for high-school students. The organization has an annual international competition where SAGE teams from across the globe gather and present their ideas. SAGE Canada will be hosting their annual national contest, TheSTAGE, in May where high-school students across Canada will gather to showcase their ventures and ideas.

TheSTAGE

The TOP 12 entrepreneurial teams within the Canadian entrepreneurship community will have the chance to compete in the  SAGE National Competition. The winning team will be able to compete in the SAGE Global Competition that will take place August 2016 in Manila, Philippines.

The application is open to all Canadians residents aged 13-18 years old. In order to participate, the teams must submit their business plan in video format through the application form. The submitted business ventures have to encompass social innovation and responsibility while being founded on strong business ethics practices and values. Applications for TheSTAGE are accepted starting March 1st, 2016 and will close March 24th, 2016.

We are delighted to be mentoring the winners of the MAKO-SAGE Innovation Hack 2015 from William Lyon Mackenzie C.I. as their winning title has automatically qualified them to participate in TheSTAGE.  For MAKO, it’s a remarkable feeling to support talented and passionate students in the Canadian entrepreneurship community by helping prepare them for the next phase. These students have proven to our community that creating and innovating is not just a hobby, it is a commitment that they have made to themselves and to the industry. It’s important for us to share our experience with the younger generation and help them solidify their ideas and give them the tools to build these projects.

TheSTAGE is a great platform for students to dive in the entrepreneurial world and showcase their ideas to professionals and tech experts. Competitions like these are a way for young innovators to start networking with like-minded individuals and have one foot into the professional realm within the Canadian entrepreneurship community.

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!