about 25 clue locations within walking distance or a short subway ride of City Hall. SCVNGR’s algorithms will send each team on a different path between the locations, with most teams visiting 10 to 12 locations in all.
At each station, teams will have the opportunity to earn points by solving riddles or challenges on themes that relate to the specific locations. (I’d give an example of a clue, but—full disclosure—Xconomy is a media sponsor of the event, and I’m actually assisting Highland and SCVNGR with clue research and writing, so my lips are sealed.) The winning teams will receive—in addition to bragging rights, of course—the honor of choosing the recipients for part of the event proceeds.
Silicon Valley Bank and law firm Wilmer Hale have already joined the event as underwriters, Gaiss says, and Deloitte, Microsoft, and the UMass Boston Venture Development Center are on board as sponsors. “Everyone who is going to participate is contributing in some way,” Gaiss says. “The proceeds will go into two buckets. One is youth-oriented entrepreneurial programs like Youth Cities, the Whiz Kids Yes program, and TiE Young Entrepreneurs, and then also college-level entrepreneurial activities, not at the MITs and Babsons where they already have robust, well-funded programs, but at places where a $2,000 or a $4,000 contribution to start an elevator pitch or business plan competition would have some good impact.”
Local companies interested in entering the innovation quest will be strongly encouraged, though not required, to collect pledges, walkathon-style, and to include at least one C-level executive on their teams. (“That shows us the companies are committed—we’re looking for the most innovative companies in the area, and the ones that want to give back to the community,” Gaiss says.) Student teams or those without funding sources can apply to participate under the banner of one of the event sponsors. Application materials are available online at the event website, questforinnovation.com.
Teams will have to cover the entire scavenger hunt course without resorting to their cars, Gaiss says. “We’re promoting this as a green event, so teams are going to have to walk, run, bike, or use mass transit,” he says. Highland and SCVNGR chose downtown Boston for the quest because it’s compact and walkable, and because it features a mix of modern and historical landmarks.
This won’t be SCVNGR’s first time coordinating a large community event. In October 2008, for example, the startup staged a massive search for a hidden $25,000 diamond ring, the “Robbins Diamond Scavenger Scramble,” in Philadelphia, where SCVNGR first took shape as part of venture incubator DreamIt Ventures. And it has run similar events in Detroit, Seattle, and Worcester, MA.
If the Quest for Innovation comes off well, it certainly won’t hurt the SCVNGR’s image—but “we are not using the event to put SCVNGR in the direct spotlight,” Gaiss says. “This is no longer about the company. It’s about what I view as cool people bringing cool people together to do good things.”
