Tuesday, April 7, 2026
5:30 pm. KICK-OFF INFO SESSION & THEME REVEAL. JRC 101.
All participating students are encouraged to attend!
Sign up to get updates, or sign-in at the kick-off event.
This is not a dinner event. There will be a short presentation about the challenge, the themes will be revealed with a productive thinking activity, and initial team sign-up will occur. We expect this session last about an hour.
Are you planning to make a physical prototype and need access to tools?
Find open hours for the Stew Makerspace. All Makerspace policies apply. If you haven’t been there before, visit for a tour and to set up your student patron account. The Stew Makerspace is located at 927 Broad St. in downtown Grinnell.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
9:30 am. TEAM REGISTRATION DEADLINE. Team registration by the deadline is mandatory for participating teams so we can set up the mentors’ schedules. 1 person per team should register the whole team. After the deadline, team member additions (up to 5 members) must be communicated to event organizers, and team member changes must be approved by event organizers.
Please complete these forms at this time.
4-8 pm. MENTOR SESSIONS with Gemma Sala, Innovate GC Mentor.
Mandatory for all teams; at least one member is expected to attend a 20-30 minute session with the mentor.
Location TBD. Schedule TBD.
Thursday, April 9, 2026
4-8 pm. MENTOR SESSIONS with Jeanne Pinder ’75 and with Emily Kolbe ’07, Innovate GC Mentors.
Mandatory for all teams; at least one member is expected to attend a 20-30 minute session with each mentor.
Location TBD. Schedule TBD.
Friday, April 10, 2026
5:30-7:00 pm. KEYNOTE TALK with Ajuna Kyaruzi ’17.
HSSC A1231.
Celebrate team progress with dinner at 5:30 pm! Ajuna’s keynote talk begins at 6:00 pm, with time afterwards for Q&A.
People not involved in Innovate GC may attend this event with RSVP for dinner, or come at 6pm without an RSVP to just hear the talk.
9:00-11:00 pm. PITCH CLINIC with the Wilson Center Catalyst. All teams are encouraged to sign up for an individual session to get feedback on your pitch.
HSSC A1231. Schedule TBD.
Saturday, April 11, 2026
11:00 am. PITCH DECK DEADLINE, submit a PowerPoint or PDF file by email and let event organizers know if your presentation can run on the room’s Windows computer or why you think you need to use your own computer.
1:00 pm. FINAL PITCHES AND AWARDS. HSSC A1231.
ALL TEAMS MUST BE PRESENT AT 1:00 pm.
The presentation schedule will be provided at 1:00 pm.
All team members are expected to present during their pitch.
Everyone is welcome to attend the Final Pitches and Awards! Come support your friends and cheer on the teams as they compete! Refreshments served.