Intuit announced today that it is continuing efforts to reach out to startups and other partners with a new challenge through its Intuit Collaboratory program.
The financial software company has been trying to boost its partnership and a4‚¬Aopen innovationa4‚¬¯ efforts in the past few years with programs like its annual Entrepreneur Day. It launched its a4‚¬ACollaboratorya4‚¬¯ website at the end of the last year, where companies and individuals can submit ideas that they want to work with Intuit on. In addition to accepting miscellaneous submissions, Intuit is trying to focus ideas with specific challenges.
Its first challenge looked at scanning receipts with a mobile phone (Intuit has already released cool smartphone products like SnapTax), and Intuit just announced that the winner of that $5,000 prize is CloudSway. Now the Collaboratory has two new challenges, both with their own $5,000 prizes. In the first, it&'s looking for iPad/tablet apps that help small businesses save time and/or money. In the second, ita4‚¬a4„s looking for a product that allows consumers to make payments from their phone after scanning QR codes, say if those codes were printed on a bill.
Susan Harman, who manages open innovation at Intuit and runs the Collaboratory, said shea4‚¬a4„s not looking for a finished product. In the first challenge, a basic idea or design is probably enough, while in the second, applicants will need to submit a working prototype. In both cases, Intuit may work with the winner to license the technology and develop it into a commercial product, though Harman emphasized that therea4‚¬a4„s no guarantee that will happen.
You can read more details about the challenge at the Collaboratory website.
Calling all mobile executives: This April 25-26, VentureBeat is hosting its inaugural VentureBeat Mobile Summit, where we&'ll debate the five key business and policy challenges facing the mobile industry today. Participants will develop concrete, actionable solutions that will shape the future of the mobile industry. The invitation-only event, located at the scenic and relaxing Cavallo Point Resort in Sausalito, Calif., is limited to 180 mobile executives, investors and policymakers. We&'ve pretty much finalized the invite list, but have a few spots left. Request an invitation.
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Companies: Intuit
People: Susan Harman
Companies: Intuit
People: Susan Harman
Anthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.
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