Harvard Innovation Labs Designs Virtual Awards Ceremony for Innovation Challenge

By Test Jun 9, 2020 9:00am

The Harvard Innovation Labs, an ecosystem that engages Harvard students and select alumni from across the University in their quest to explore innovation and entrepreneurship, designed an immersive virtual event to celebrate the finalists of the ninth annual Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge.

Harvard Innovation Labs Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Executive Director Matt Segneri turns to the finalists of the President’s Innovation Challenge Social Impact track, who are on live camera as they await the winner’s announcement

“While we would have loved nothing more than to gather in person this year, we looked at the unique challenge of designing a virtual event in a short timeframe as an opportunity to attract an even larger community of innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Adrian Gill, Brand Experience and Creative Director at the Harvard Innovation Labs. “Everything about the event design was driven by our desire to create an interactive and engaging experience—one that a global audience would truly enjoy watching.”

The Harvard President's Innovation Challenge is a call to action for Harvard students and alumni who are passionate about developing solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Last spring, the Harvard Innovation Labs hosted an in-person showcase and awards ceremony that drew more than 1,000 attendees. When it became clear in March that a physical gathering would not be possible this year, the Harvard Innovation Labs began designing a virtual celebration for May.

President’s Innovation Challenge finalists had their pictures taken at the Harvard Innovation Labs in February 2020, before the University went virtual for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year

The Harvard Innovation Labs partnered with MASARY Studios to design the stage for the virtual event, including the soundtrack and visuals presented throughout the show. The two organizations grounded all aspects of the event design in the Harvard Innovation Labs’ new visual identity, first introduced in late 2019.

*A series of promotional materials created for the ninth annual President’s Innovation Challenge*

More than 4,000 people from 87 countries tuned into the 1-hour President's Innovation Challenge Virtual Awards Ceremony. The event featured pre-recorded pitches from the 25 finalists, and audience participation effects such as “live clapping,” where viewers could hear live claps during the event when they pressed the “clap” icon on their screen. When the winners of $510,000 in Bertarelli Foundation Prizes were announced, audience members got to experience live reactions and speeches from the startup leaders.

Matt Segneri congratulates Rebecca Kersch, CEO and co-founder of fintech company Tang, on winning $25,000 as the runner-up in the President’s Innovation Challenge Open Track for ideas that transcend categories

Added Josh Rowe, director of marketing at the Harvard Innovation Labs, “Keeping in mind that people in the business and innovation communities are being inundated with virtual gatherings, our aim was to create a show that truly elevated the finalists' work.”

*Immediately after the President’s Innovation Challenge concluded, the event was available to watch on the PIC microsite, which also included information about each of the 25 finalists*

The Harvard Innovation Labs designed a custom microsite to host the President’s Innovation Challenge, which provides a curated experience for showcasing the teams. To learn more about the 25 finalists, and watch the awards ceremony, visit https://pic2020.innovationlabs.harvard.edu.

Virtual Event Broadcast Video Concerts News