Innovation Challenge
Sign Up for UpdatesFoothill Innovation Challenge
The Foothill Innovation Challenge is an annual event that invites you to develop creative solutions to real-world problems. Working individually or in teams, you present innovative ideas—often focused on social impact—to a panel of industry professionals and community leaders. The challenge encourages entrepreneurship, collaboration, and critical thinking while connecting you with mentors and experts from across the region. Every year, our challenge emphasizes a specific social issue for students to center their innovative projects on.
A series of workshops will be offered during the Spring quarter to expose you to the requisite skills to develop ideas from conceptual sparks in your brain into real solutions that make a difference!
Learn how to design your solution, how to build a proof-of-concept of your solution, and how to pitch your solution in these workshops conducted by industry leaders! Check out the details in the workshop schedule above.
Students who participate in The Foothill Innovation Challenge will learn important skills, such as how to develop a business concept, how to communicate to an audience, as well as how to think critically and innovatively.
Most importantly, students will work collaboratively towards making a positive difference in your community!
If you are interested in joining the competition, please head to The Foothill Innovation Challenge Canvas Shell where you will receive important information about what to do next.
Competing in BIC was incredibly beneficial for an aspiring entrepreneur; it allowed me to dive deeper into a topic I was passionate about, build out a business plan and get real-time feedback and validation, and learn from like-minded peers, investors, and other industry experts.
Lia FernandezFoothill College2nd Year
Innovation Challenge 2025 Highlights
Innovative Ideas With Social Impact — Focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education
The 2025 Innovation Challenge brought together students to explore how artificial intelligence can transform education and create positive social impact. Final challenge rounds took place May 29 in the Foothill College Dining Hall, where teams presented innovative solutions to a panel of judges.
Student Co-Hosts
The event was co-hosted by Foothill student leaders:
Paulo Verzosa
President of Student Body, Foothill College
Joshua Chin
VP of the Inter-Club Council (ICC), Foothill College
Key Information of 2025 Innovation Challenge
The competitive portion of the Innovation Challenge included two rounds where students presented their ideas and advanced to the final stage.
Round 1: Poster Session
Student teams showcased their ideas during a campus poster session. Attendees reviewed
the projects and voted for the top teams to move forward.
Round 2: Shark Tank-Style Presentations
The top six teams presented their innovations to a panel of professional judges in
a “Shark Tank” style pitch session.
Winning teams received cash prizes to support their projects or continuing education:
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First Place: $1,500
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Second Place: $700
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Third Place: $300
All participants also received digital participation badges to include in their portfolios.
The Innovation Challenge was supported by the Business & Entrepreneurship Club, Women in Business Club, the Business & Social Sciences Division, and Workforce Development.
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Industry leaders and innovators served as judges for the Foothill Innovation Challenge, sharing their expertise and feedback with participating teams. Their experience across technology, entrepreneurship, and public service helped guide students as they presented ideas focused on AI and education.
Tim Menard
Founder & CEO, LYT.ai
Entrepreneur and former Tesla engineer building AI-powered traffic solutions that
improve emergency response and transit systems.
Rachel Wu
Senior Technical Product Manager, Google
Product leader focused on global technology solutions and AI innovation. Rachel also
leads AI learning initiatives and is pursuing an MBA at Stanford.
Max Buchan
Founding Software Engineer, Cleanlab
AI startup engineer bringing machine learning research into real-world applications,
with experience building AI tools across multiple industries.
Izzy Hernandez
Production Control Lead Associate, Tesla
Foothill–De Anza alumnus working in advanced manufacturing at Tesla while pursuing
interests in design and automotive innovation.
Peter Landsberger
President, Board of Trustees, Foothill–De Anza Community College District
Former vice chancellor and longtime leader in California community colleges with decades
of experience supporting higher education access.
Join The Community
Use these links to join the Foothill Innovation Challenge community!
Canvas Shell is the primary collaboration space for our innovators. Join this space to participate in The Foothill Innovation Challenge.
Foothill Innovation Challenge Canvas Shell
Join our Business & Entrepreneurship Club on Discord to connect with other student innovators to form teams, get ideas, and have discussions to improve your innovations.
BEC Discord
Follow us on Instagram for real-time updates on our events and access to fun and educational content.
BEC Instagram
Contact UsFoothill Innovation ChallengeAngie Dupree, Foothill Innovation Challenge Co-Coordinator and Economics Faculty 408.750.7718 dupreeangelica@foothill.edu Michelle Wu, Foothill Innovation Challenge Co-Coordinator Business and STEM Faculty 650.814.9037 wumichelle@fhda.edu |
