ISHOW 2017 to Kick Off in February

Jan. 27, 2017

The ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW) is set to go international for the third straight year in 2017, with three separate events scheduled to take place in India, Kenya and the United States. ISHOW organizers will begin accepting applications February 1 from engineers and entrepreneurs who are interested in taking part in one of the three competitions, which focus on hardware-led innovations that make a positive social, economic or environmental impact in underserved communities throughout the world.

(Left to right) Ratul Narain, founder of Bempu Health, and Virginia Morgan, Bempu Health’s head of public health impact and partnerships, with prototypes of their Bempu Hypothermia Alert Device, which was one of the winners of the 2016 ISHOW India.

Bringing hardware from concept to market is a difficult process and hardware innovations are often overlooked in an era of apps. The ISHOW seeks to put a spotlight on these hardware trailblazers to help make their “hardware journey” easier and more successful.

Social entrepreneurs competing at the ISHOW events have an opportunity to pitch their hardware prototypes to industry experts and investors. Finalists share $500,000 in seed grants and technical assistance, including extensive design and engineering reviews of their products. The ISHOW’s impressive and expanding list of partners, which includes the ASME Foundation, Autodesk Foundation, and The Lemelson Foundation, also helps contestants overcome non-technical challenges in bringing products to market, such as establishing a startup, building a proper business plan and tapping into the needed manufacturing, investor and supply chain networks.

Kenneth W. Turner (far left), program officer with The Lemelson Foundation, and Paul Scott (far right), director, ASME Global Development, with Fausto Marcigot, Nick Quintong and Michael Hahn from the PayGo Energy team. PayGo Energy’s smart meter technology was one of the winning entries at the 2016 ISHOW USA in Washington, D.C.

If you know anyone who might be interested in applying or participating, please feel free to share this opportunity with your network. ISHOW is looking for social entrepreneurs, mechanical engineers and graduate/undergraduate students who may have a design they would like to submit. The program’s organizers are also looking for any colleagues you may have who might be interested in participating as a judge or technical advisor. 

In addition to program launch on Feb. 1, other important dates to remember include:

• March 15:  Deadline to submit an ISHOW application
• April 1:  ISHOW finalists announced
• April 27:  ISHOW India - Bangalore
• May 25:  ISHOW Kenya - Nairobi
• June 22:  ISHOW USA - Washington, D.C.

For more information on the 2017 ISHOW or to apply, please visit http://bit.ly/applyishow, and follow us on Twitter: @asmeishow and #thisishardware. If you would like to let your Twitter network know about ISHOW 2017, here’s a suggested tweet: Ready, set, INNOVATE! Applications are now open for @asmeishow 2017. Check out past winners & apply at http://bit.ly/applyishow.