Sherwin-Williams Sponsors “Innov8athon IV: Innov8 Paint!”

Blackstone LaunchPad collaborative event to be held on Nov. 14 at Kent State University

Sherwin-Williams, in partnership with the
Blackstone LaunchPad program at Kent
State, is sponsoring “Innov8athon IV:
Innov8 Paint!” to promote entrepreneurial
thinking, creative prototyping and
interdisciplinary collaboration among
students in Northeast Ohio.

Sherwin-Williams, in partnership with the Blackstone LaunchPad program at Kent State University, is sponsoring “Innov8athon IV: Innov8 Paint!” in order to “hack the painting process” and promote entrepreneurial thinking, creative prototyping and interdisciplinary collaboration among students in Northeast Ohio.

“For centuries, we have painted with what some refer to as ‘pig hair on a stick,’” says Victoria Scarborough, program director for external technology at Sherwin-Williams. “Painting is a messy and time-consuming process from preparation to clean up. We are looking for creativity and collaboration to discover new processes and ideas for the painting industry.”

This year’s Innov8athon will focus on specific problems and “paint points” in the painting industry, such as user fatigue, coverage rate and shortcomings of current tools. Student participants will have the opportunity to try current tools and methods firsthand at the event. After a brief “Painting 101 workshop,” there will be workstations and various types of equipment ranging from painting supplies and drywall to microprocessors, such as Raspberry Pi, available for use.

The “Innov8 Paint!” event will take place on Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Kent State.  Students from all universities, majors and backgrounds are invited to participate, and will have the opportunity to learn from Sherwin-Williams. 

“We are excited to have Sherwin-Williams’ support in sponsoring this creative, cross-campus event that will provide our students with the opportunity to ‘hack’ and find solutions to recurring painting industry issues,” says Julie Messing, executive director of Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad program.

Teams have the opportunity to win $2,000 and the opportunity to have their ideas translated into Sherwin-Williams’ products. Additionally, all students in attendance will receive a $25 Visa gift card for participating. For more information about “Innov8athon IV: Innov8 Paint!” visit www.innov8athon.com.

For more information about Sherwin-Williams, visit www.sherwin-williams.com.

For more information about the Blackstone LaunchPad program at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/blackstonelaunchpad.