• You must be an individual or a team that has not completed the Series A funding as of TBD.
• As an early-stage start-up, you must have received funding of no more than US$50,000.
• As a mid-stage start-up, you must have received funding of more than US$50,001 up to US$149,999 as of TBD.
• You and your team members are at least eighteen (18) or older.

• You must be an individual or a team that has not completed the Series A funding as of TBD, or
• A legally registered business concern with a financial threshold of US $150,000 to US $3 million or employing a minimum of ten (10) workers and no more than 1,500 workers in a single jurisdiction.
• You and your team members are at least eighteen (18) or older.

The application period is now closed

Stay tuned for more information on the 2027 competition!

Stay tuned for more information on the 2027 competition!

Stay tuned for more information on the 2027 competition!

Stay tuned for more information on the 2027 competition!

2026 London

• Dr. Aliasghar Bahoo Torodi, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Bayes Business School, City of St. George’s, University of London (UK)
• Natash Chick, Director of Enforcement, Business and International Director at UKIPO (UK)
• Dr. Rachel Daniel, IP Specialist, IP21 (UK)
• Paul Sweeden, Senior Associate (Intellectual Property), CMS (UK)

2026 London

• Early-Stage Start-Up: Adaora (Addie) Chinenye Vivian Momah, Heart and Tale, Nigeria
• Mid-Stage Start-Up: Nina van Schaick, Peripear Ltd., UK
• Early-Stage Scale-Up: Ioannis Gkouzionis, Aisthesis Medical, Ltd. UK

1. GENERAL. The Open Innovation Challenge (the “Challenge”) is organized by the International Trademark Association (“INTA”). By entering this Challenge, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions (“T&C”).

2. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to participate in the Challenge, you must be all the following as of the first day of the Challenge Period (defined below):

(a) either

(i) a pre-Series A funding start-up with funding no more than US$50,000 (Collectively referred to as an “early-stage start-up”) or

(ii) a pre-Series A funding start-up with funding more than US$50,001 up to US$149,999 (Collectively referred to as a “mid-stage start-up”) or

(iii) a legally registered business concern with a financial threshold of US$150,000 to $US3 million or a minimum of ten (10) to no more than 1,500 employees in a single jurisdiction. This includes organizations that have completed Series A funding as of February 27, 2026. Participants will be grouped and assessed accordingly (collectively referred to as “scale-ups”); and

(b) at least eighteen (18) years of age or older.

(c) previous years’ winners are not eligible to apply to the competition.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, any person who is a contractor, officer, director, agent, or other representative of the judge’s organizations, or any of its affiliates or agencies, and members of such person’s immediate family and persons living in the same household with such person, are not eligible to participate in this Challenge. The judges for the Challenge are listed in item 11, below.

3. CHALLENGE PERIOD. The Challenge Period begins at 12:01 am United States Eastern Time on October 6, 2025 and ends at the determined time on the competition scheduled for May 4 (the “Challenge Period”).

4. HOW TO ENTER. To enter this Challenge, you must do all the following during the Challenge Period:

(a) submit through this link (the “Challenge Site”) a pitch deck that also describes your early-stage start-up, mid-stage start-up, or scale-up (the “Pitch Deck”); or

(b) upload at this link an optional video ( “Video”) that describes your business and otherwise complies with the Submission Guidelines outlined in Section 5, below (the “Submission Guidelines”); and

(c) provide all information requested in the online form on the Challenge Site (the “Online Form” and, collectively, with the Pitch Deck or Video, your “Submission”); and

(d) Your Submission (defined below) must be received according to the time of INTA’s server (United States Eastern Time) during the Challenge Period to be eligible to participate in the Challenge. INTA shall not be responsible for any late, incomplete, void, corrupted, garbled, misdirected, or otherwise unintelligible Submissions and any bugs or malfunctions Applicants may encounter when submitting Submissions.

Limit one (1) Submission per Applicant.  If multiple Applicants represent or purport to represent the same company, entity, or organization in their Submissions, only the Submission that is received last by INTA will be considered; all other Submissions referring to such company, entity, or organization will be disqualified (and if already posted, will be taken down from the Challenge Site).

(e) Finalists qualify for two complimentary registrations to the Annual Meeting of the Challenge year. If the finalists are already registered for the Annual Meeting, no refunds or substitutions will be provided. Complimentary registrations are not eligible to be redeemed at a future Annual Meeting or any other INTA event.

5. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES. Your Submission must conform to all of the following guidelines:

a) All Submissions must be made on the Online Form prescribed by INTA.

b) A complete Submission must include two of the following:

(i)  A completed Online Form; and

(ii) A Pitch Deck in PDF format; or

(iii) An optional Video no longer than a minute (60 seconds) long.

c) The Video option, which shall be no longer than a minute long, must be in digital video format (MOV. or MP4.) and comply with any posting requirements on the Challenge Site. Please include English subtitles if the Video is in a language other than English.

d) The Pitch Deck must be submitted in PDF format, following the guidelines provided on the Submission page of the Challenge Site. In addition, your Pitch Deck must be in the English language. The application accepts up to 3 files. Allowed in the following types: .png, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .doc, .xls, .docx, .xlsx, .pdf, .txt, .mov, .mp3, .mp4. Max file size: is 25 MB per file.

e) Your Submission provided through the Application form must be in English. As per item 5(c), above, your Video may be subtitled in English if it is recorded in a language other than English. Do note that your Submission will be assessed in English.

f) Your Submission must be your original work of authorship. You must not copy or otherwise plagiarize any content from any third party, nor may your Submission include any third-party copyrighted material or artwork without such third party’s permission.

g) You and any other person in your Video must not be subject to any of the following:

• any contract (e.g., with a talent agent or manager) that would limit or impair INTA’s ability to show the Video in any media form;
• any acting or modeling contract that would make your or their appearance in the Video a violation of any third-party rights;
• any merchandising agreement; or
• any other contractual relationship, including but not limited to guild and/or union memberships, which may prohibit you or them from participating fully in this Challenge or from allowing INTA to use the Video in any media.

h) Your Submission must not contain any names, likenesses, photographs, or other images of any other person, living or dead, without their (or their estate’s) permission.

i) Your Submission must not violate the rights of any third party, including any intellectual property rights or rights of privacy.

j) Your Submission must not contain any trademarks, logos, or trade dress of any third party or advertise or promote any brand or product without the appropriate third party’s permission.

k) Your Submission must not contain any confidential or proprietary information of any party.

l) Your Submission must not contain any personally identifiable information, such as license plate numbers, names (other than your name), e-mail addresses, or street addresses.

m) Your Submission must not:

i) portray any third party in a negative light or include any personal attacks on anyone;

ii) include any nudity, animal cruelty, illegal activity or substance, or offensive or obscene subject matter;

iii) include any content that is sexually explicit or suggestive; violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional, or age group; profane or pornographic, or contain any content that is of physical, moral or emotional danger, or references any dangerous activity,

iv) promote alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing);

v) promote any unsafe or dangerous activity;

vi) promote any particular political agenda or message; and

vii) reflect any obscene or offensive statements or endorse any form of hate or hate group.

n) Your Submission must comply with all laws and not depict any violation of the law.

o) INTA reserves the right to disqualify any Submission determined by INTA in its sole discretion not to be bona fide or to violate these Terms and Conditions otherwise. All Submissions become the sole property of INTA and will not be acknowledged or returned.

6. INDEMNITY FROM YOU FOR YOUR SUBMISSION. You shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless INTA and all its officers, directors, employees, agents, and other representatives from and against any and all claims arising from your Submission.

7. LICENSE GRANT TO VIDEO. By entering this Challenge, you hereby grant to INTA and its designees on your behalf and on behalf of all others appearing in the Video a royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, create derivative works from, and display the Video, in whole or in part, on the Challenge Site, as well as to incorporate the Video into other works, in any form, media or technology now known or later developed, including for any promotional or marketing purpose. In addition, please note that the Video may be made available for viewing by any member of the public.

8. CONSENT TO USE YOUR NAME, ETC. By entering this Challenge, you and all others in your Submission also hereby grant INTA and its designees the right to use your name, voice, signature, biographical information, photo, and likeness for advertising, publicity, promotional, and other purposes in any and all media, now or hereafter devised, throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification or permission, except where prohibited by law.

9. SELECTION OF WINNERS; EVALUATION CRITERIA. Eligible Submissions will be evaluated according to the conditions of the following three tracks:

a) Submissions for early-stage start-ups (the “Early-Stage Start-Up Category”)
b) Submissions for mid-stage start-ups (the “Mid-Stage Start-Up Category”), and
c) Submissions for early-stage scale-ups (the “Scale-Up Category”).

Submissions will be allocated to the Start-Up Category and the Scale-Up Category by INTA at its sole discretion. Set out below are the evaluation criteria for the Start-Up and Scale-Up Categories:

Evaluation Criteria for the Early-Stage Start-Up Category

1. Team: Is this team uniquely qualified to build this business? Do the members of the team understand their customers and their industry well? Do they have the grit to carry this through? (20%)
2. Product or Service Innovation: Is the product or service innovative? Is it differentiated from competitive offerings? (20%)
3. Product Market Fit: Are there signals that customers will value the product or service? Is the market size large? (20%)
4. Innovation for Good: Does this business positively impact people’s lives and/or the environment? Will this early-stage start-up improve the lives of many people? And/or will this early-stage start-up make a deep and meaningful impact on individual lives? Do the company’s business practices promote diversity, sustainability, and social good? (20%)
5. Brand Strategy: Does this business have a brand? Does it have a strategy on how to bring it into new markets? (10%)
6. IP Valuation and Management: Does this business have an IP portfolio? Does the IP strategy align with the business strategy? How are IP rights managed within the business? (10%)

Evaluation Criteria for the Mid-Stage Start-Up Category

1. Team: Is this team uniquely qualified to build this business? Do the members of the team understand their customers and their industry well? Do they have the grit to carry this through? (20%)
2. Product or Service Innovation: Is the product or service innovative? Is it differentiated from competitive offerings? (20%)
3. Product Market Fit: Are there signals that customers will value the product or service? Is the market size large? (20%)
4. Innovation for Good: Does this business positively impact people’s lives and/or the environment? Will this mid-stage start-up improve the lives of many people? And/or will this mid-stage start-up make a deep and meaningful impact on individual lives? Do the company’s business practices promote diversity, sustainability, and social good? (20%)
5. Brand Strategy: Does this business have a brand? Does it have a strategy on how to bring it into new markets? (10%)
6. IP Valuation and Management: Does this business have an IP portfolio? Does the IP strategy align with the business strategy? How are IP rights managed within the business? (10%)

Evaluation Criteria for the Scale-Up Category

1. Team: Is this team uniquely qualified to build this business? Do the members of the team understand their customers and their industry well? Do they have the grit to carry this through? (15%)
2. Product or Service Innovation: Is the product or service innovative? Is it differentiated from competitive offerings? (15%)
3. Product Market Fit: Are there signals that customers will value the product or service? Is the market size large? (15%)
4. Innovation for Good: Does this business positively impact people’s lives and/or the environment? Will this scale-up improve the lives of many people? And/or will this scale-up make a deep and meaningful impact on individual lives? Do the company’s business practices promote diversity, sustainability, and social good? (15%)
5. Brand Strategy: Does this business have a brand? Does it have a strategy on how to bring it into new markets? (20%)
6. IP Valuation and Management: Does this business have an IP portfolio? Does the IP strategy align with the business strategy? How are IP rights managed within the business? (20%)

Each Submission will be scored subject to the weights accompanying each evaluation criteria solely to rank the Submissions within each of the two Categories (i.e., such scores will not be published).

First, all Submissions will be evaluated by INTA staff for eligibility. Then INTA staff, along with the judging Panel, will evaluate the applications of all eligible Submissions in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria and will assign an initial numerical score to each such Submission to identify the top three (3) scoring Submissions for each category, nine (9) in total.

The Applicants who submitted the top three (3) scoring Submissions from all Categories will be the Finalists of the Challenge (“Finalists”) and will make a live, in-person pitch at the 2026 INTA Annual Meeting in London, UK.

If the above-mentioned evaluations result in Submissions with tied scores, all Submissions will be re-evaluated and re-scored using fractional points by INTA staff or Judges, as applicable, to differentiate the scores for such Submissions.

Points will be deducted for any pitches that exceed the allotted time for completion.

10. NOTIFICATION OF FINALISTS. Each Finalist will be notified by March 16, 2026, via the e-mail address specified in the Finalist’s Submission. Only shortlisted Finalists will be notified via e-mail. The Finalist may also be sent a declaration of eligibility/liability/publicity release (“Release”) and required to complete and return the Release to INTA within the specified period. If INTA cannot locate any Finalist within five (5) business days following INTA’s first attempted notification, or the Finalist rejects the Finalist Prize (defined below) or refuses to execute the Release (if any), the Finalist Prize will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate Finalist—specifically, the next highest scoring Submission as scored by the Judges, until all nine (9) Finalists have responded, accepted the Finalist Prize, and executed the Release (if any). INTA may not and is not obligated to make multiple attempts to contact Finalists. Non-compliance with these Terms and Conditions may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate Finalist. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of a Finalist (as defined below), the Finalist will be deemed the authorized account holder of the e-mail address listed in the Submissions form.

11. JUDGES.  All decisions by the Judges are final. INTA or their sponsors or partners shall not be held liable for any loss or damage arising from or in connection with any decision made by the Judges.

The Judges for this Open Innovation Challenge will be announced soon.

12. PRIZES. One Winner will be selected from each category. Each winning prize package will comprise the following:

• One (1) complimentary organizational INTA membership to one office location for the following calendar year (valued at US $1,500). If the winner is a member of INTA and has already paid their membership dues for the current or following year, then the prize can be utilized in the next calendar year when membership dues remain unpaid.
• One (1) complimentary organizational INTA membership to one office location for the following calendar year (valued at US $1,500). If the winner is not currently an INTA member, the complimentary membership must be redeemed by December 31, 2026. If the winner is already an INTA member and has paid their membership dues for the current or following year, the prize may be applied to the next calendar year when dues remain unpaid.
• One (1) hour of consulting provided by each member of the judging panel, offering strategic guidance on innovation, intellectual property, branding, and commercialization. 
• One (1) place in the CMS equIP Programme, which includes a 50% discount on expert legal advice over a three-year period (jurisdiction dependent), with potential savings of up to £25,000 in legal fees. The equIP Programme provides access to full-service legal advice, subject to the programme’s terms and conditions.
• One (1) complimentary ticket to Slush per category, one of the world’s leading start-up and technology events, connecting founders with global investors, partners, and peers. The Slush tickets are non-transferable, non-refundable, and have no cash value. No reimbursement, or cash equivalent will be provided under any circumstances. Attendance is subject to Slush’s own terms and conditions. 

13. PRIZE CONDITIONS. No substitution or transfer of any Prize or part thereof is permitted. Notwithstanding the foregoing, INTA reserves the right to substitute any Prize, or any part thereof, with another prize of equal or greater value should the Prize or any portion thereof become unavailable or unfeasible for any reason. INTA shall not be responsible for any potential damages arising from the change in the prizes. No Winner is entitled to the difference between the stated approximate retail value and the actual price, if any. If any Winner declines a Prize, such Winner forfeits the Prize (and it, or a prize of equal or greater value, will be awarded to an alternate Winner, as set forth above). Winners may not assign or transfer their Prize, or any part thereof, to another person, business, entity, or organization. All activities related to the Prize are at Winner’s own risk and subject to any applicable restrictions, whether imposed by the entities that govern such activities, by contractual obligations to which Winner is already subject, and/or by applicable law. Each Winner is solely responsible for any unspecified expenses related to the Prize, including, without limitation any local taxes on the Prize.

14. RELEASE. By entering this Challenge, each Finalist and Winner hereby agrees to release, waive, and discharge INTA and each of its officers, directors, employees, agents, and other representatives from any claims, demands, obligations, causes of action, and liabilities that now exist or may hereafter arise that relate in any way to such Finalist or Winner’s participation in the Challenge, including from any use, redemption, acceptance, possession, ownership, or misuse of the Prize or any portion thereof, or any participation in any activity, event, or excursion offered in connection with the Prize or any portion thereof.

15. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY. INTA is not responsible for any liability that may arise from:

• any lost, interrupted, or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connection, availability, or accessibility;
• any miscommunication or failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmission, line, or other technical failures;
• any jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmission;
• any computer hardware or software malfunction, failure, or difficulty; or
• any other error or difficulty of any kind, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties that may occur in connection with the administration of the Challenge, the processing of Submissions, the announcement of the Prizes, or in any Challenge-related materials. INTA also is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information regarding the Challenge, whether or not caused by tampering or hacking. Any person who tampers with or abuses any aspect of the Challenge, violates these Terms and Conditions, or acts in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner as solely determined by INTA, will be subject to disqualification.

16. GENERAL CONDITIONS. INTA reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify, or cancel the Challenge for any reason, including without limitation, should any portion of the Challenge be compromised by any technical failure or other factor beyond INTA’s control that impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Challenge. If the Challenge is canceled, INTA may select the Winners from among all eligible entries received before such date in a non-random manner deemed fair and appropriate by INTA under the circumstances. INTA reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any Applicant who is found to be:

• tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Challenge;
• acting in violation of these Terms and Conditions or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner;
• acting with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Challenge; or
• acting with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person.

INTA reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Applicants may not enter with multiple identities or use any automated system, bot, or similar device or artifice to enter the Challenge.

This competition is open to all 2025 Annual Meeting registrants to observe, so finalists should not disclose any confidential information.

17. ARBITRATION. Any and all disputes, claims, or controversies of any kind arising out of or related to this Challenge or these Terms and Conditions (“Claims”) shall, except where prohibited by law, be resolved individually and exclusively by final and binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) and conducted before a sole arbitrator, all according to the AAA Commercial Arbitration Rules as supplemented by AAA’s Consumer-Related Disputes (collectively, the “AAA Rules”), which provide for, among other things, which party shall pay the administrative, arbitrator, and other fees. The arbitration shall be held in New York City, or another location mutually agreed to by the parties. There shall be no authority for any claims to be arbitrated (or otherwise disputed) on a class or representative basis; arbitration can decide only your individual claims, and the arbitrator may not consolidate or join the claims of other persons or parties who may be similarly situated. ANY AND ALL DISPUTES, CLAIMS, AND CAUSES OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR CONNECTED WITH THE CHALLENGE, OR ANY PRIZE AWARDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE CHALLENGE, WILL BE RESOLVED INDIVIDUALLY, WITHOUT RESORT TO ANY FORM OF CLASS ACTION. ANY RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IS HEREBY WAIVED. Notwithstanding anything contrary to these Terms and Conditions, all parties retain the right to seek relief in a small claims court for claims within the jurisdictional limits of the small claims court in New York city or as mutually agreed by both parties. Any such small claims court action shall be in lieu of arbitration or an action in any other court.

18. GOVERNING LAW. This Challenge, these Terms and Conditions, and all Claims under the foregoing arbitration provision and the procedures applicable to any such arbitration shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of New York State without giving effect or regard to any principles or doctrines of conflicts of law.

19. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. All copyrights, trademarks, design rights, patents, and other intellectual property rights (registered or unregistered) related to the Challenge belong to INTA and/or third parties. INTA reserves all of its rights in relation thereto. Nothing in these Terms & Conditions shall grant you the rights or license to use any copyrights, trademarks, design rights, patents, or other intellectual property rights owned or controlled by INTA or any third parties except with their prior written consent.

20. ENTRY TO CHALLENGE VENUE. Entry to the Challenge venue may be subject to the venue’s prevailing terms and conditions of entry. INTA or their sponsors or partners shall not be held liable if any Applicant is denied entry to the Challenge venue due to a breach of the venue’s terms and conditions of entry or any other circumstances beyond INTA’s reasonable control.

21. FORCE MAJURE. INTA may postpone, cancel, interrupt, or terminate the Event at any time due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control (including but not limited to war, riots, terrorism, acts of God, acts of the enemy, decrees or restraints by governmental or public authorities, strikes, insurrections, civil commotion, transmission and/or communications disruptions or failure, and other causes of such nature), without any liability to INTA or their sponsors or partners. If the Challenge is postponed to a new date or venue, INTA shall notify the applicants as soon as reasonably practicable. If the Challenge is canceled, INTA shall give notice of cancellation to the Applicants as soon as reasonably practicable.

INTA reserves the right to add, vary, withdraw, or substitute advertised programs or change the Challenge time, venue, or audience capacity without prior notice and any liability to INTA or its sponsors or partners.

By registering for the Challenge, each Applicant agrees to be bound by these Terms & Conditions and further agrees that:

All personal data submitted may be collected, used, and/or disclosed to INTA and its respective affiliates for various purposes, including but not limited to communication with the Applicant for purposes related to the INTA, providing goods and services to the Applicant upon request, and such other purposes INTA and its respective affiliates may reasonably deem appropriate, or in relation to which the Applicant has otherwise provided INTA with consent; and

INTA may collect, use, disclose, and share amongst itself and its respective affiliates, partners, and service providers the Applicant’s personal data, including the photographs or audio-visual or other recordings of the Applicant for publicity and/or use in advertisements across all media, including, without limitation, INTA’s and its respective affiliate’s publications, presentations, promotional materials on their websites, in its original or edited format, and whether the purpose of which is to promote the Challenge or otherwise without further notification, remuneration, or compensation. INTA shall not be held liable for any loss (including, without limitation, any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive loss) or damage of any kind incurred by any party in connection with the registration for, attendance at, relocation, postponement, or cancellation of the Challenge, except for any liability that cannot be excluded by law (in which case that liability is limited to the minimum amount allowed by the relevant law).

22. CONFIDENTIALITY. All business proposals submitted will be kept confidential and will be shared only with our judging Panel (the “Panel”)

23. ASSOCIATED RISKS. All shortlisted Applicants accept the risks of presenting their pitch publicly. Applicants will not hold INTA and all its officers, directors, employees, agents, and other representatives from and against any and all claims arising out of the loss of novelty of any potentially patentable invention due to any disclosure resulting from the public presentations for their respective pitches.

INTA or its sponsors or partners shall not be held liable for any loss or damage arising from or in connection with any decision made by the Panel. Moreover, INTA has the right to change any agreed award to any successful Applicant at its own sole discretion if such change is beyond INTA’s reasonable control, and in no circumstances shall INTA be liable for any loss or damage incurred or suffered by the Applicant in connection with such change.

24. SEVERABILITY. Should any of these Terms and Conditions be held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, it shall be deemed to be modified so that its purpose can be lawfully effectuated and enforced, and the balance of the Terms and Conditions shall remain in full force and effect.

25. ENTIRE TERMS AND CONDITIONS/MODIFICATIONS. These Terms and Conditions contain the entire understanding between the Applicants, Finalists, Winners and INTA with respect to the Challenge and may not be altered, varied, revised, or amended except by a written instrument signed by the Applicants, Finalists, Winners and an authorized representative of INTA after the date of this Agreement.

26. TERMS AND CONDITIONS. INTA reserves the right to change these Terms and Conditions.