Resources | Sunstone Innovation Challenge
Whether you're new to the Sunstone Innovation Challenge or a returning competitor, this page has what you need — business plan guidance, templates and tools, recommended reading, and additional support — all in one place.
Apostle Incubator, Weekly Meetings
Join weekly workshops to develop your business plan with guidance from the Apostle Incubator team.
A tool to help structure and validate your business concept.
Business Plan Requirements — SIC 2025 (PDF)
Full requirements for your written business plan submission.
Rubric Topic Definitions (PDF)
Understand exactly how your plan will be scored.
The Business Value of Design (PDF)
A McKinsey report proposing a design index for quantifying the value of design practices and their impact on bottom lines.
Business Roundtable (PDF)
Covers the announcement that corporations are replacing shareholder primacy with stakeholder primacy.
How to Deliver on a Great Plan (PDF)
The original 2006 HBR article on Design Thinking, written by IDEO CEO Tim Brown.
The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design (PDF)
IDEO's guide to the methods and mindsets of design thinking, including the rubrics of Feasibility, Desirability, and Viability.
Entrants retain ownership of all ideas and materials/images submitted to the challenge. Only the Innovation Challenge steering committee and judging panelists will have access to complete entry materials. We encourage you to discuss your idea with as many program-affiliated people as possible; however, to protect your intellectual property, avoid disclosing specific functions (e.g., operations, code) that make up your business's "secret sauce." Entering teams should understand that submitted information carries some risk of inadvertent public disclosure. Organizers, judges, and other affiliates will NOT enter into nondisclosure agreements with entering teams. The Innovation Challenge organizers retain the right to reproduce and distribute submitted materials for public view (e.g., images, overview text, video).
