Epson Innovation Challenge for Developers, Product Designers and Startups (US and Canada)

About

The Epson Innovation Challenge is an initiative of Seiko EPSON Corporation designed to challenge innovators to develop solutions that enhance the user experience for its customers.

They’ve arrived at an exciting frontier of technology innovation and designed the Epson Innovation Challenge for developers, product designers and cutting edge startups to rapidly test their creativity and skills developing innovative solutions with the Epson Connect API on top of world renowned hardware products. Epson offers an attractive platform of over tens of millions sold printers and scanners across more than 150 countries. This is a very unique opportunity where innovators could get a rocket boost by partnering with a trusted brand with global reach.

Epson is especially interested in solutions that compliments customer needs of sizable user populations in consumer and B2B markets, leveraging technologies such as Generative AI, ML, or OCR. Desired solutions are those that create a clear competitive advantage for the user experience compared to a standard print or scan function. Participants should bundle print or scan services to create a digital to analog to digital information flow. For instance:

• Automated printing workflows on top of photo management applications (i.e Google Photos) or social media (i.e Instagram, Pinterest). Allowing users to create tangible photo albums from their memories and interests at home.
• Customized media printouts based on topics of interests identified through user preferences from media applications (i.e Apple News, news blogs or coupon websites for seniors).
• Using AI to generate automated personalized greeting cards for every moment including birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries of loved ones.
• Provide on-demand distributed printing and scanning services at strategically located facilities such as libraries, coffee shops, hotels, co-working spaces, office printing centers, and transit hubs, enhancing accessibility to printing solutions.
• Integrate a comprehensive printing and scanning solution that bridges disparate system interfaces, converting output data into physical and subsequently digitizing it. Enhancing value and enriching the user experience across diverse sectors, including education, healthcare, and government.

Innovation Challenge ideas must leverage Epson Connect™, the secure cloud service for scan and print workflows and will have to look beyond a simple print or scan function in their solution. MVP solution demos will also use the Epson EcoTank series, an excellent IoT printer producing high quality prints at a more affordable price point than the competition. Desirable ideas will demonstrate a creative mix of scanning, data processing, and printing to address untapped opportunities in both consumer and commercial use cases.

Why you should join!

• Prizes
• Test Yourself!
• Partnership Opportunities
• Mentorship
• Silicon Valley Landing Pad Opportunity
• Pitch to Top Management

Prize Information

• One Epson EF12 projector for the top 3 winning team
  • Cash Prizes
    • 1st Prize: $5,000
    • 2nd Prize: $2,000
    • 3rd Prize: $1,000
• All selected participant teams receive EPSON Challenge merchandise + an Epson printer or scanner used for the Challenge can be kept!

What is required to enter the Challenge?

• You must have a place of residence/business in the United States or Canada and have a valid tax identification number in US or Canada.
• You must be the age of majority (18 or 21 depending on the state of residence).

For more information, visit Foundry 415 Innovation Group.

Deadline: 15 October 2023