Introduction
Do you want to develop businesses marketing new and exciting innovations? Is working on multi-disciplinary teams for you ideal? Does creating and presenting your innovation to an audience sound energizing? Not the least, do you want to win valuable prizes?
Then Idea-to-Product Competition Latin America is the opportunity you have been looking for.
The Centro de Empreendedorismo e Novos Negócios da Fundação Getulio Vargas – FGVcenn will promote in 2011 the 4th edition of the Idea-to-Product Competition – Latin America. The Idea to Product® Competitions, founded at The University of Texas at Austin, are early-stage technology commercialization plan competitions that aim for unique product ideas with clear market demand that use innovative technologies. The goal is educating and developing the next generation of technology entrepreneurs. The program is particularly interested in matching technologies resulting from a university’s fundamental research programs with potential markets. From now the FGV is responsible for the Latin American version of the challenge. The winning team will be automatically invited to participate in the Idea-to-Product Global, in the United States, with the winners from others local competitions. The Latin American contest wishes to bring to Sao Paolo a representative from each of the most important schools from all 33 countries in the region.
Idea-to-Product Latin America is an innovative competition inspiring the innovative spirit in students around Latin American countries where participants develop a technology commercialization plan to confirm the validity and market potential of a new, innovative, and competitive product. Students then present the commercialization plan to a group of knowledgeable judges. I2P’s mission is to create a competitive Latin American forum in which to enhance cross-disciplinary studies in entrepreneurship, research, technology & emerging markets.
Rene José Rodrigues Fernandes, Competition Director
Mr. Fernandes is the Senior Project Director for the Centre for Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation (FGVcenn) at Fundacao Getulio Vargas. He is also Commercial Director for the newspaper Jornal Integracao. Mr. Fernandes has worked for Interbanc Consulting and for CEPAM, a public sector consultancy.
At the Centre for Entrepreneurship he is the director for several projects, including the business plan competition “FGV Latin Moot Corp”, the best practices prize “Premio Empreendedor de Sucesso” and the Latin American version of the “Idea to Product Competition”. His research focus the competitiveness of high growth entrepreneurial ventures, start-up companies and entrepreneurship education.
Division: Centre for Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation (FGVcenn).
Title: Senior Project Director.
Education: BSBA – Escola de Administração de São Paulo (FGV-EAESP); MSc – Escola de Administração de São Paulo (FGV-EAESP).
Expertise: Entrepreneurship.
E-mail: rene.rodrigues@fgv.br
