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  • Bark Tank: Design Thinking Cohort

    Registration

  • Turn an idea into something worth sharing.

    Join Innovation Week’s Design Thinking Cohort, work with Scholar-in-Residence Stacy McCracken and community mentors, and develop an original concept for Bark Tank. Choose between bringing an idea of your own or taking on a real-world product challenge from Yukon Outfitters.

    Open to students from every major. No prior experience is required. $5,000 in prizes available.

  • Important Dates

  • MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30–4:30 P.M. | EF 319
    Innovation Week Kickoff — strongly encouraged

    TUESDAY–THURSDAY | 3:30–5:00 P.M. | EF 152
    Design Thinking Cohort — One designated member from each team must attend all three sessions. Additional team members may participate as space allows.

    FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 | 3:30–5:30 P.M. | Ethos Forum Lobby
    Bark Tank Pitch Competition

    Register by Sept 25, 2026. We will confirm participation, workshop availability, and next steps by Sept 26, 2026.

    If space remains, onsite registration is possible on Sept 28th at the Kickoff event.

  • Before you Register

  • • Bring Your Own Idea entries may be submitted by individuals or teams of up to five students.

    • The Yukon Outfitters Design Challenge is team-based. Teams may include up to five students; teams of three or four are encouraged.

    • Each team must designate one Cohort Lead who will attend all three Tuesday–Thursday workshops. The same student should attend throughout the series.

    • Other team members may request workshop seats. Additional seats will be confirmed after registration closes based on available capacity.

    • Up to 12 eligible entries will pitch live during Bark Tank. If more than 12 entries complete the cohort, finalists will be selected after Thursday’s workshop.

    • Every eligible registered entry will be featured in the Bark Tank Idea Gallery, whether or not it is selected for a live pitch.

  • Choose Your Bark Tank Track

  • Both tracks participate in the same Design Thinking Cohort and culminate in the Bark Tank Pitch Competition. You do not need a finished idea or prior entrepreneurship experience—choose the opportunity that interests you most.

    TRACK 1: BRING YOUR OWN IDEA
    $2,000 IN PRIZES (1st $1000/2nd $600/3rd $400 place) 

    Begin with a problem, insight, or early-stage idea and develop a new or meaningfully improved product, service, experience, venture, or community solution.

    You do not need an existing business. Existing ventures may participate when the entry focuses on a genuinely new offering, direction, or experiment—not simply a presentation about the current business.

    Individuals or teams of up to five students may participate.

    TRACK 2: YUKON OUTFITTERS DESIGN CHALLENGE
    $3,000 IN PRIZES (1st $1500/2nd $1000/3rd $500 place) 

    Help Yukon Outfitters answer one exciting question: What should we make next?

    Working in a team, identify an unmet customer need and develop an original product concept connected to Yukon Outfitters’ drinkware, coolers, or adjacent outdoor-product categories.

    The complete challenge prompt will be revealed at the Innovation Week Kickoff and shared simultaneously with all accepted teams.

    Teams may include up to five students; teams of three or four are encouraged.

  • Select your Bark Tank Track: *

  • Primary Contact Information

    Please submit one registration per individual or team. The student completing this form will serve as the primary contact and receive important information about the cohort and Bark Tank.If you are participating individually, you are the primary contact. For teams, the primary contact does not have to be the designated Cohort Lead.
  • Format: (000) 000-0000.
    • Track 1: Bring Your Own Idea 

    • Track 1: TELL US ABOUT YOUR IDEA

    • Track 2: Yukon Outfitters Design Challenge 

    • Track 2: Tell Us About Your Interest

    • The Yukon Outfitters Product Innovation Challenge is team-based. You do not need to have a product idea before registering—the complete challenge prompt will be revealed at the Innovation Week Kickoff.

      Students without an existing team may still register and request help connecting with potential teammates.

       

    • What interests, experiences, or perspectives might you contribute to a team? (Select all that apply)*
    • Participation and Team Information 

    • Participation and Team Information

      Please submit one registration per individual or team. The primary contact listed above counts as Team Member 1. Teams may include up to five students.
    • Track 1: Team Questions 
    • How many students are currently included in this entry?*
    • Track 2: Team Questions 
    • Team Questions Details 

    • ADDITIONAL TEAM MEMBERS

    • List each additional team member on a separate line using this format:

      Full Name — Union Email Address — Major or Academic Program

      Example:
      Jordan Smith — jordan.smith@my.uu.edu — Marketing

      Do not list the primary contact again. Teams may include no more than five students total, including the primary contact.

    • PARTICIPATION COMMITMENT AND BARK TANK FORMAT

    • Each individual or team must designate one Cohort Lead who will attend all three Design Thinking Cohort workshops. Additional team members may participate as space allows.

      Up to 12 eligible entries will pitch live during the Bark Tank Pitch Competition. If more than 12 entries complete the cohort, finalists will be selected after Thursday’s workshop based on the submitted concept materials. Every eligible registered entry will still be featured in the Bark Tank Idea Gallery.

      Teams selected for the stage will deliver a three-minute pitch followed by approximately three minutes of questions from the judges.

    • Participation Agreement*
    • Track 2: IP Considerations 

    • YUKON OUTFITTERS CHALLENGE—PRELIMINARY PARTICIPATION NOTICE

    • The Yukon Outfitters Design Challenge is intended to provide students with a real-world product-development experience while generating product ideas and concepts that Yukon Outfitters may choose to evaluate, use, modify, adapt, further develop, manufacture, market, sell, license, or otherwise commercialize. By participating, students acknowledge and agree that Yukon Outfitters may use and further develop ideas and concepts submitted through the challenge without any obligation for additional compensation, royalties, or other payment beyond the announced prizes.

       

      Participants acknowledge that Yukon Outfitters independently develops products on an ongoing basis and may have previously developed or considered, may currently be developing, or may later independently develop products, features, designs, or concepts that are similar or identical to those presented during the challenge. Participation in the challenge does not restrict or encumber Yukon Outfitters’ existing or future product-development activities or its ability to independently develop, acquire, manufacture, market, sell, license, or otherwise commercialize such products or concepts.

       

      Additional terms addressing ownership and assignment of intellectual-property rights, including rights relating to potentially patentable inventions developed through the challenge, will be provided and agreed to by participants before substantive design work begins. These terms are intended to establish clear expectations for all parties while preserving the educational and collaborative purpose of the program.

       

    • Design Thinking Cohort Details - To show details, click the arrow ->  

    • Details: 

      Following the introduction to Design Thinking at the Kickoff Event: Designing the Future with Purpose on Monday Sept 28th from 3:30-4:30, registered students/teams will participate in a three-session design thinking workshop series on pursuing one of two tracks: Bring Your Own Idea or take on the Yukon Outfitters Design Challenge. The three workshops take place Tuesday - Thursday from 3:30-5:00 in EF 152/154 and culminate in the Bark Tank Pitch Competition on Friday Oct 2 from 3:30 - 5:30 in the Ethos Forum Lobby. 
       
      Cohort Workshop progression: 

      Cohort Session 1: Empathy & Problem Discovery

      Understand people. Discover problems worth solving.
      Learn how to listen, observe, and ask better questions to uncover real needs and opportunities. Teams will begin exploring their idea or partner challenge by identifying the people they are designing for and reframing assumptions around the problem.

      Cohort Session 2: Opportunity Exploration, Concept Development & Prototyping

      Turn insights into ideas—and ideas into something you can test.
      Explore potential solutions and venture concepts, select promising directions, and create simple prototypes or experiments to test key assumptions. Teams will use feedback to strengthen and refine their concepts.

      Cohort Session 3: Storytelling & Pitch Preparation

      Turn your concept into a story others can understand and support.
      Learn how to clearly communicate the problem, your insight, your proposed solution, and why it matters. Teams will develop and practice their pitch in preparation for the Bark Tank showcase.

      Bark Tank: 

      Bark Tank is Innovation Week’s high-energy culminating event, where students and teams pitch their ideas to a panel of expert judges. Participants will compete for more than $5,000 in prizes and connect with local entrepreneurs.

       

       

    • Questions 

    • Questions? Contact Dr. Georg Pingen at gpingen@uu.edu

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