Last week, I had the honor and the privilege to serve as a volunteer mentor and as a volunteer judge at the 24th annual HOPSTART new venture awards program at Johns Hopkins University.
Hosted by the Center for Leadership Education at Johns Hopkins, HOPSTART is a competition that challenges Hopkins students to develop a business plan around an innovative idea and pitch their plan to a panel of judges.
Participation in the HOPSTART competition is open to teams that include undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students at Hopkins.
Judges for HOPSTART included a diverse mix of entrepreneurs, consultants, business CEOs, not-for-profit organization CEOs, educators, surgeons, writers, lawyers, and information technology experts.
Fellow judges from the Eastern Shore, including Al Silverstein, Clay Mitchell, and Marty Lostrom, joined me at the event.
Also at the event was former Eastern Shore resident Len Foxwell, who is an integral member of the Hopkins team that plans and executes HOPSTART.
Programs submitted for judging were in two categories – General Ventures and Medical Technology/Life Science Ventures.
To say the scope and depth of all the HOPSTART presentations was impressive is a huge understatement.
A sampling of the fifty entries in the program this year included:
A program to leverage the use of the internet to minimize the agricultural expenses for marginal farmers in India and maximize their production at the same time.
An electronic access system for individuals needing medical care to evaluate their current situation and make informed decisions on their best care options and help address long waits in hospital emergency rooms.
A streamlined approach using blockchain technology to simplify and expedite the credential verification process for medical care providers.
A monitoring method comparable to glucose level monitors for those with diabetes provides an early warning of a need to repeat hernia repair surgery.
There were many more outstanding entries that were not included here.
Every single entry was characterized by innovative ideas, rigorous research, and a commitment to make a difference in our world.
As a HOPSTART volunteer team mentor prior to the judging event and as a volunteer judge I learned a great deal.
First and foremost, I learned all the students submitting entries are among the best and the brightest in the world.
As importantly, I was inspired to witness firsthand the commitment of Hopkins students to lifelong learning and to advancing a cause larger than themselves.
Affirming that was a post judging request from one of the teams I mentored prior to the judging.
The team leader asked me to continue in that role as they move forward on efforts to convert their proposal from an idea into a program that is fully implemented.
Obviously, they are deeply committed to their project and view it as much more than a once-and-done entry into an awards program.
All the program participants understand and fully embrace the observations of Eric Hoffer, a self-taught American philosopher.
Hoffer is often referred to as ”the longshoreman-philosopher” based on his authoring ten books while also working for many years as a dockworker in the port of San Francisco.
Of his many insightful observations on human behavior and society, Hoffer wrote:
“In a world of constant change, learners will inherit the future. The learned are perfectly prepared to live in a world that no longer exists.”
At Johns Hopkins, HOPSTART learners will not only inherit the future.
They will also make our world a better place.
David Reel is a public affairs and public relations consultant who lives in Easton.
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