From November 7-11, 2024, UW-Madison’s StartUp Learning Community, in partnership with University Housing and the Wisconsin School of Business, hosted its annual 100-Hour Challenge, a beloved innovation event popular with undergraduate students. This fully virtual competition highlights a key truth: creativity often emerges from the simplest of beginnings, proving that innovation doesn’t always require high-tech tools or advanced expertise.
The Challenge is designed to inspire entrepreneurial thinking and show how storytelling and adaptability are just as vital as technical skills. Students discover how meaningful ideas can emerge from the most unexpected places—like rummaging through a sock drawer or raiding a bathroom caddy.
The event began on Thursday, when participants accessed a curated list of “approved items” on the Challenge website. Everyday dorm essentials like cardboard, socks, light bulbs, and scrunchies became the raw materials for innovation. Over the next 100 hours, students, working solo or in teams, turned these simple items into creative prototypes.
By Monday, participants submitted their entries—either as videos or slide decks—to a panel of judges, all experts with ties to UW-Madison’s innovation community. Submissions were evaluated in three categories: most potential revenue value, most potential social value, and creativity.
The 100-Hour Challenge is more than just a contest—it’s an invitation to think differently, build confidence, and embrace resourcefulness. For participants, it’s a reminder that with curiosity and determination, even the most mundane items can become catalysts for big ideas. Here’s to another year of unlocking creativity—and the everyday materials that made it possible!
2024 Winners
Most Potential Revenue Value: Insta-Desk
Most Potential Social Value: Loo-Minary
Most Creative: Strappy
Congratulations to these winners!
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