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8th Grade Students at a Chicago Public School Launch a Kickstarter Campaign

June 13, 2014

In 2013, we teamed up with SEE (the Science and Entrepreneurship Exchange) to implement a program called dig-8 at Nettelhorst School in Chicago. The program was a tremendous success and we are thrilled that it continued on to the 2014 8th grade class at the same Chicago Public School.

The program has been renamed SEE8, but the goal remains the same – to teach students about product development and entrepreneurship in a relevant, engaging, and unique way. This year the students were mentored by designers from Studio One Eleven and Streng Design, as well as Northwestern University students. The challenge was to solve the problem: How do you organize kitchen counter clutter?

The students researched, brainstormed and combined their ideas into one big idea before visiting our studio to develop mock-ups and determine rough manufacturing costs. It was great to see the kids interact with one another and teach them more about product development in the real-word. They were given the opportunity to ask our designers questions in order to help them further refine their big idea.

brainstorming smart mail

beyond design cintiq nettelhorst

At the end of the program, the students presented before a panel of judges at Catapult Chicago’s headquarters and pitched their product and business plans. The chosen design is a tabletop organizer coined Smart Mail that has a broad market appeal and sleek design.

smart mail judging

smart mail team

smart mail design

To read the full story and support the design, visit their Kickstarter page here.

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