Wood: Last chance to nominate for IQ Awards

What do you have in store for us this time, innovators?

BizWest will conduct its IQ Awards, honoring the “Innovation Quotient” among the region’s companies, Nov. 3, at the Boulder Theater, and there’s still a limited time to submit nominations.

Nominations are open for the primary awards, honoring innovative products and services. Products must have come to market no earlier than Jan. 1, 2021, or be in a beta-testing mode. Significant upgrades to existing products also qualify, as do products still in prototype mode.

We’ll accept nominations from throughout our coverage area, including Boulder, Broomfield, Larimer and Weld counties, plus Brighton and Westminster.

All products must be submitted by companies based in or with a significant presence in the region. 

Innovations must be able to support a “sustainable” business model. Although financials are requested as part of the nomination process, a certain level of revenues or profits is not a deciding criteria in the evaluation process; potential is more important.

An independent panel of judges will review the nominations, dividing them into appropriate categories, such as aerospace, bioscience, consumer products, natural and organic, sports and outdoors, software, business products, etc.

Finalists will be announced in all categories, with winners unveiled at the IQ Awards gala celebration.

But event attendees get their own say as well. Judges will pre-select three innovations for a “pitch-slam” competition, with judges interviewing three executives on-stage about their innovations. The audience will then vote on the overall “Innovation of the Year.”

Last year’s winner was Broomfield-based Vita Inclinata Technologies Inc., whose Vita Rescue System uses counterthrust to stabilize helicopter rescue baskets during windy conditions.

The Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado have emerged as centers of innovation. That’s reflected in everything from startup activity to the presence of global technology, natural and organic, outdoor, agribusiness, energy and clean-tech companies. It’s also clear when looking at increasing venture-capital investments, public and private offerings, federal grants and patents.

Every past year of IQ has demonstrated the quality, scope, potential and breadth of innovation that occurs locally.

Nomination and registration information is available at https://events.bizwest.com/iqawards/

So what’s the deadline? Get your nominations in by Oct. 14, and the judges will get to work.

Christopher Wood can be reached at 303-630-1942 or via email at cwood@bizwest.com.

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Christopher Wood

Christopher Wood is editor and publisher of BizWest, a regional business journal covering Boulder, Broomfield, Larimer and Weld counties. Wood co-founded the Northern Colorado Business Report in 1995 and served as publisher of the Boulder County Business Report until the two publications were merged to form BizWest in 2014. From 1990 to 1995, Wood served as reporter and managing editor of the Denver Business Journal. He is a Marine Corps veteran and a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder. He has won numerous awards from the Colorado Press Association, Society of Professional Journalists and the Alliance of Area Business Publishers.