[M]SPIRE is a business competition for any entrepreneur or small business in Northeast Ohio with the end goal of growing existing manufacturing companies and sparking the development of new ones.

Send in your product idea. A panel of judges will review your proposal and you could win up to $20,000 to make your idea a reality. Applications are due September 30 at 11:59pm. Winners will  be announced Wednesday, October 19 at [M]POWER Manufacturing Assembly 2016 in Akron.

In order to be eligible for [M]SPIRE, you must be located in Northeast Ohio and produce, or want to produce, a physical product.

Eligibility Requirements:

• You must be focused on producing a physical product
• Your application can be an improvement on a manufacturing or production process, as long as that process leads to a product
• Entrepreneurs and small businesses are welcome

Do NOT Apply If:

• Your product is a website or application
• You are not operating in the listed counties

Key Considerations:

• Is your product unique?
• Is your idea feasible?
• Will your product have an economic impact? (e.g. create new jobs in Northeast Ohio)
• How would a cash prize be leveraged against other resources?
• Is there a market need for your product?
• Besides money, what do you need to be successful?
• How well do you know your customers?
• How much money do you need to launch your idea?