The Next Lives Here Summit

​The room was less than enthusiastic. Business professionals littered the room, and the starched collars were threatening to overwhelm my t-shirt and shorts clad self. I walked through the doors from the din of the lobby into the absolute and utter silence of the lecture hall. I sat in the back and waited for the presentations to begin. The MC and moderator outlined the general form of the presentations. Simply three minute presentation and five minute question and response.
Overall the presentations were acceptable with varying success. The first was a product called "Breathe OX Easy" and promised freedom from annoying oxygen tank wires. The presentation was basic and words filled most of their frames, but the information and passion won out. When questions arrived they handled themselves masterfully and understood their product's potential as well as its downfalls.
The next product geared to connect people with their community in a new app and web development program called TownCal. Basically a glorified Google calendar, the service would combine listings of events in rural areas in one easy-to-access place. Personally, I liked the targeted approach to the rural areas, however their concept seemed redundant and lacked a concept of scalability. The panel had most of the same concerns and continued to grill the product creators without viable answers.
The most impressive presentation by far was Bailout Systems. Their presentation blew me away with its artfully rendered images, intriguing concept, and demonstrated need and potential. Their product was well on its way to becoming a truly viable product which was already almost ready to be manufactured. Truly inspiring.

Adam Pozdro

Industrial Design at DAAP University of Cincinnati