2026 In:Vention Incubator and Transformation Lab official contest rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN: 

No purchase is necessary to enter the 2026 In:Vention Incubator Contest and Transformation Lab (“Contest”) or win a prize.

TERRITORY: 

The Contest is open only to participants from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada (excluding Quebec). 

APPLICABLE LAW (VOID WHERE PROHIBITED): 

The Contest is subject to and governed by applicable federal, state, provincial, territorial, and local laws and regulations. Participation in the Contest is void where prohibited or otherwise restricted by law. 

1. SPONSOR.  

The Contest is held by the Vention group of companies (”Vention”) and sponsored by the following Vention entities (each, a “Sponsor”), based on the Participant’s location:  

• Germany: Vention Solutions GmbH, a company incorporated in Germany with company number HRB 250544 B, having its registered office at Neue Schoenhauser Strasse 3-5, 10178 Berlin, Germany. 
• UK: Vention Solutions Ltd., a company incorporated in England with company number 14787106 and with its registered address at 1st Floor 8 Bridle Close, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, England, KT1 2JW. 
• USA and Canada (excluding Quebec): Vention Solutions Inc., a New Jersey corporation, located at 697 Mill Creek Road, Suite 13, Manahawkin, NJ 08050, USA. 

2. AGREEMENT TO OFFICIAL RULES.  

Entry in the Contest constitutes Participant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these 2026 In:Vention Incubator Official Contest Rules (“Official Rules”) and the decisions of the Sponsor and/or Vention, which are final and binding. If you agree to be bound by these Official Rules on behalf of your employer or other entity, you represent and warrant that you have full legal authority to bind your employer or such entity to these Official Rules. 

Winning a Prize is contingent upon being compliant with these Official Rules and fulfilling all other requirements set forth herein and/or required by applicable law. 

3. ELIGIBILITY.  

Eligibility criteria: To be found eligible for the Contest, a participant (each, a “Participant”, collectively, the “Participants”) must: 

(i) Be a legal entity incorporated in Germany, the United Kingdom, any state of the United States of America (including the District of Columbia), or any province or territory of Canada (excluding Quebec), and actively acting in their commercial capacity. In Canada (excluding Quebec), a Participant must be entered into the Contest by at least one (1) legal resident of Canada (excluding Quebec) who has reached the age of majority in their province or territory of residence as of the date of entry and who is the owner or a decision-making representative of such Participant. Such individual(s) must have the unencumbered authority to participate in the Contest on behalf of the Participant and legally bind the Participant, including without limitation, to these Official Rules and to any other required documentation as contemplated in these Official Rules. 

(ii) Operate within the following industries / sectors: 

• Agriculture 
• Automotive 
• Ecommerce 
• Education 
• Financial and professional services 
• Food and drink 
• Health services 
• Logistics 
• Manufacturing 
• Marketing and AdTech 
• Real Estate 
• Telecommunications 

Vention reserves the right to disqualify any Participant whose business operations fall within certain fields or subindustries of the identified industries/sectors if, in Vention’s reasonable judgment, engagement with such fields or subindustries may pose legal, regulatory, or reputational risks to Vention.  

(iii) Do business lawfully and not be subject to any business, trade, or industry-specific restrictions that may prevent a Participant from participating in the Contest. 

(iv) Maintain all licenses and permits required by applicable laws and regulations to operate in the relevant industry / sector. 

Upon request by the Sponsor, Participants shall provide evidence that they meet the eligibility criteria outlined above. Participants who do not meet any of the eligibility criteria outlined above will be disqualified. 

Exclusions: The following entities are not eligible to participate in the Contest: 

(i) Current and former clients of the Sponsor. 

(ii) Legal entities that are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by employees, contractors, officers, directors and agents of the Sponsor or its affiliates, or by members of their immediate families (e.g., spouses, children, siblings, or parents), or by persons living in the same household as such persons. 

(iii) Legal entities subject to any economic, trade, or financial sanctions administered by the United States (including OFAC), the United Kingdom, the European Union, Germany, or Canada, or with whom the Sponsor is prohibited from doing business under any applicable export control laws and regulations of these jurisdictions. 

(iv) Federal, regional, state, provincial/territorial, local, and other governmental agencies, governmental and state-affiliated organizations and entities, political parties, and political consulting and lobbying firms. 

The Sponsor cannot accurately predict the number of Participants who will participate in the Contest. The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received and the quality of submissions as judged against the criteria set forth in Section 8. 

4. ENTRY & CONTEST PERIOD.  

The Contest begins on May 15, 2026, at 12:00 am Eastern Time ("ET") and ends on June 20, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET (the “Contest Period”). All times refer to Eastern Time. Entries that are submitted before or after the Contest Period will be disqualified. 

5. HOW TO ENTER. 

Each Participant must fill out and submit the entry form. Participants must accurately complete all required fields and confirm their agreement with these Official Rules and the Vention Privacy Policy. Otherwise, the entry will be deemed incomplete and will not qualify. 

Entries must not infringe on any third party’s intellectual property or other proprietary rights and must not contain any offensive, harmful, or inappropriate content. 

Each Participant may submit only one (1) entry for the Contest. Additional entries from the same Participant will be disqualified. 

6. PRIZE. 

The following prize (“Prize”) will be awarded to the Winner: 

Custom software development services performed by the Sponsor and/or its affiliates. The duration of the services is three (3) months. The Sponsor will select and assign a team of up to three (3) software engineers to perform the services. The exact scope and objectives of the services will be mutually defined by the Winner and the Sponsor based on the details of the Winner’s entry in accordance with Section 9 of these Official Rules. 

The approximate market value (“AMV”) of the Prize is: 

• USD 150,000.00 – if the Winner is from the USA; 
• CAD equivalent of USD 150,000.00 based on Bank of Canada conversion rate published on the date of the Winner notification - if the Winner is from Canada (excluding Quebec); 
• EUR equivalent of USD 150,000.00 based on European Central Bank conversion rate published on the date of the Winner notification – if the Winner is from Germany; 
• GBP equivalent of USD 150,000.00 based on Bank of England conversion rate published on the date of the Winner notification – if the Winner is from the UK. 

The Prize is not exchangeable, transferable, substitutable, or redeemable for cash. Any difference between the stated AMV and the actual value of the Prize will not be awarded. 

Only one (1) Prize is available. The Prize will only be awarded if properly claimed according to these Official Rules. 

The Prize restrictions/conditions stated herein are not all-inclusive, and the Prize described above may be subject to additional restrictions/conditions, which may be stated in the documentation specified in Section 9(iv) of these Official Rules. 

7. TAXES. 

The Winner is solely responsible for reporting and paying any and all applicable federal, state, provincial, territorial, and local taxes related to acceptance and use of the Prize. Any applicable VAT or GST/HST will be handled in accordance with applicable tax laws. The Sponsor and Winner will discuss and resolve any tax-related matters before the deadline specified in Section 9(iv). The Winner must provide properly executed tax forms as may be required by the Sponsor (e.g. Form W-9 if the Winner is located in the USA) before the Prize is awarded as set forth in Section 9 of these Official Rules. 

8. WINNER SELECTION. 

One (1) winner of the Prize (“Winner”) will be selected by July 11, 2026, from among all eligible entries received in accordance with the judging process described herein.  

Vention will select a team of competent judges consisting of the CEO, CMO, and Marketing leadership, Engineering leadership, and Business Development leadership who will evaluate the entries and select the Winner.  

The evaluation of each entry will be based on the following judging criteria: 

• Readiness (20%): The Participant’s product or technology is beyond the ideation stage and is either fully developed or at the prototype stage. 
• Innovation (20%): The Participant’s product or technology is novel and does not merely replicate existing product(s) on the market. 
• Market Potential (20%): The Participant’s product or technology addresses an existing market need. 
• Feasibility and Scalability (20%): The Participant’s business model is practical and able to be expanded successfully. 
• Quality and clarity of the presentation (20%): The Participant’s entry effectively communicates its vision, plan, and value proposition. 

Each judge will evaluate each eligible entry independently based on their professional experience, rating each rubric of the judging criteria described above by assigning it a score from 1 to 5 (with 1 being the lowest score possible and 5 being the highest score possible). The scores from all judges will be totaled for each entry. The Participant with the highest total score will be selected as the potential Winner, subject to compliance with all requirements set forth in these Official Rules, including but not limited to the skill-testing question requirement for potential Winner from Canada (excluding Quebec) as described in Section 9. 

In the event of a tie between eligible entries with the highest score, an additional judge or judges will be engaged to evaluate the tied entries based on the judging criteria described above until the tie is broken. The decisions of the judges are final and binding. 

There is no right to a justification for rejections, except as required by applicable law. Legal recourse is excluded to the extent permitted by applicable law. 

9. WINNER NOTIFICATION. DATES AND DEADLINES. 

(i) Initial contact. The potential Winner will be notified via the contact information provided in the entry form by July 14, 2026. As part of such notification, the representative of the Sponsor will schedule a call with the potential Winner to instruct the potential Winner on the next steps, including the requirement for the potential Winner from Canada (excluding Quebec) to correctly answer a skill-testing question without assistance of any kind, whether mechanical or otherwise, within a specified time limit. 

(ii) Confirmation. The potential Winner must confirm its acceptance of the Prize no later than July 22, 2026. After confirmation of the Prize the potential Winner becomes the Winner. *For a potential Winner from Canada (excluding Quebec), prior to confirming acceptance of the Prize and being declared the official Winner, the potential Winner must correctly answer, without assistance of any kind, whether mechanical or otherwise, a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question to be administered by the Sponsor or its designated representative. The skill-testing question will be of a mathematical nature requiring the application of basic mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division) and must be answered correctly within five (5) minutes of being posed. Failure to correctly answer the skill-testing question within the specified time will result in disqualification, and the potential Winner will forfeit all rights to the Prize. The potential Winner from Canada (excluding Quebec) must also execute and return to the Sponsor (within such time as specified by the Sponsor) a declaration and release form confirming compliance with these Official Rules, including the correct answering of the skill-testing question, eligibility to win, and acceptance of the Prize as awarded. 

(iii) Identification of scope. The Winner and the Sponsor must determine the specific scope and timelines of the Sponsor’s services awarded to the Winner as the Prize no later than July 31, 2026. 

(iv) Legal documentation. The Winner will be required to (i) execute a services agreement describing the scope of the services to be performed by the Sponsor, as well as any other terms and conditions of such services; (ii) provide business registration and tax information documentation as stipulated by the applicable laws and regulations in relevant jurisdiction (e.g. complete and return a form W-9 if the Winner is located in the USA); and (iii) submit such additional documents and forms as the Sponsor may reasonably request in order to effectuate the purposes and intents of these Official Rules or comply with the applicable laws and regulations. The Winner agrees to comply with the requirements mentioned in this subsection no later than July 31, 2026. 

(v) Project launch. The Sponsor will commence the performance of the services on a date mutually agreed by the Sponsor and the Winner, but no earlier than August 1, 2026. 

If the potential Winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim the Prize, fails to correctly answer the skill-testing question (for potential Winner from Canada, excluding Quebec), and/or fails to comply with any of the requirements listed above within the applicable timeframes set forth herein, the Sponsor may elect to disqualify such potential Winner, who will forfeit its right to receive the Prize. In such event, the Sponsor may select as an alternate potential Winner the highest scoring Participant from among all remaining eligible entries. If an alternate potential Winner is selected, the timeframes set forth in this Section 9 for the original potential Winner will apply to the alternate potential Winner mutatis mutandis.   

10. WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT. 

The name of the Winner of the Contest will be posted on the Vention website(s), social media pages, and other publicity once the Winner has been selected and the Prize has been awarded. 

11. PUBLICITY. 

By accepting the Prize, the Winner agrees that, without any further payment or consideration to the Winner, the Sponsor and its affiliated parties that belong to Vention: (i) may identify, mention, tag, or incorporate the Winner on the Vention website(s), social media pages, in sales presentations, written and/or electronic marketing materials, press releases and any other media relating to the Contest or the Sponsor’s services (collectively, “Marketing materials”); (ii) have a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, limited license to use the Winner’s logo, name, and trademark in the Marketing materials; and (iii) may issue a public case study referring to the Winner and containing a brief summary of the scope of the Winner’s project and a description of how the Sponsor’s services contributed to the success of the Winner’s product and/or service.  

12. USE OF PERSONAL DATA. CONFIDENTIALITY. 

Personal data submitted with an entry is subject to the Privacy Policy at https://ventionteams.com/international-invention-day/privacy-policy, which describes how personal data is handled and outlines Participant’s rights under applicable privacy laws.   

Any other information submitted by a Participant with an entry (“Submission”) will be treated by Vention as confidential. Vention will take reasonable steps to protect the confidentiality of the Submission and will not disclose any Submission to the public or to any third party without the express consent of the Participant, except as (i) reasonably necessary to administer the Contest; (ii) expressly permitted by these Official Rules; or (iii) required by law. The Vention confidentiality obligations do not extend to information that: (i) was already rightfully known to Vention prior to the date of the Submission; (ii) becomes publicly known or available through no fault of Vention; (iii) is disclosed to Vention by a third party who has the right to make such disclosure; or (iv) is independently developed by Vention without use of the Submission. 

13. RELEASES, CONDITIONS, AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY. 

By submitting an entry in the Contest, each Participant (whether declared the Winner or not) agrees to forever and irrevocably release, discharge, indemnify and hold harmless the Sponsor, its affiliates and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives, and agents (the “Released Parties“) from any liability, claims, demands, and causes of action from loss or damage of any kind, property damage, theft, or loss suffered or resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in this Contest, including the receipt or use of the Prize, except for liability arising from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Released Parties and any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law. 

By participating in the Contest, each Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Released Parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to the Prize, including but not limited to its quality, condition, or fitness for a particular purpose, unless otherwise provided for in the Documentation signed by the Sponsor and the Winner. 

Vention, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify and prohibit from participating (and void such person’s entries) any person, organization or legal entity, who Vention determines (in its sole discretion) is or is attempting to: (i) tamper with the Vention website and/or any part of the Contest; (ii) undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, deception, or other unfair practices, (iii) or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other Participant, the Sponsor, or the Released Parties;  (iv) violate applicable law; and/or (v) otherwise violate these Official Rules. ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE, CIRCUMVENT, OR DISRUPT THE VENTION WEBSITE (OR ANY PART THEREOF) OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD ANY SUCH ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR, RELEASED PARTIES AND ITS LICENSEES (IF ANY) RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND ANY OTHER AVAILABLE REMEDIES FROM ANY PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY SUCH ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. EACH PARTICIPANT AGREES TO INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS THE SPONSOR AND RELEASED PARTIES FROM AND AGAINST ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, LOSSES, DAMAGES AND/OR LIABILITIES (INCLUDING REASONABLE ATTORNEYS' FEES AND EXPENSES) THAT MAY BE ASSERTED AGAINST OR INCURRED BY ANY OF THEM AT ANY TIME, IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF VENTION WEBSITE (OR ANY PART THEREOF), AND/OR BY PARTICIPANT’S BREACH OF ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY OR COVENANTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONTEST. The use of any automated device, automated launching or entry software or any other mechanical or electronic means that permits the Participant to automatically enter or evaluate repeatedly is prohibited. Vention disclaims all liability for any delays, misdelivery, loss, or failure in the delivery of any item sent by mail, courier, express, electronic transmission, or other delivery method. 

Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) mechanical, technical, electronic, communications, telephone, computer, hardware or software errors, malfunctions or failures of any kind, including: failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed transmission of online entries, traffic congestion on telephone lines, the Internet or at any website or lost or unavailable network connections which may limit an online Participant’s ability to participate in the Contest; (2) any injury or damage to Participant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in or downloading any information necessary to participate in the Contest; (3) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by Participants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (4) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (5) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or operation of the Contest; or (6) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries. 

Vention further reserves the right to: (i) cancel, terminate, suspend, declare null or void, amend, alter, or modify the Contest, void any suspicious entries, rescind the Prize, and/or determine absolute resolution, and/or an alternate method of conducting the Contest and/or awarding the Prize at any time, for any reason, or if, in the sole discretion of Vention, it is impossible or impractical to complete or conduct the Contest as planned for any reason, including, but not limited to, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures of any sort, or any other causes which effect the operation of the Contest or the rules of the integrity of the Contest have been violated or compromised in any way, intentionally or unintentionally by any person whether or not a Participant of the Contest; and/or (ii) stop or conclude the Contest at any time without prior notice. 

14. GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION. 

All matters arising out of or relating to the Contest and these Official Rules and their construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the country in which the Participant is located, as follows: (i) for Participants located in the USA or Canada (excluding Quebec), by the laws of the State of New Jersey; (ii) for Participants located in the UK, by the laws of England and Wales; (iii) for Participants located in Germany, by the laws of Germany; in each case without giving effect to any of conflict of laws provisions thereof. Each Participant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Contest, including the Prize awarded or the selection of the Winner, and these Official Rules shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, except where prohibited by applicable law. This class action waiver does not apply to Participants located in jurisdictions where such waivers are unenforceable, including but not limited to under certain circumstances in the UK and Germany. The Participant further agrees that any legal suit, action, or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Contest and these Official Rules shall be brought exclusively in the courts of the jurisdiction where Participant is located, as follows: (i) for Participants located in the USA or Canada (excluding Quebec), in the federal or state courts of the State of New Jersey; (ii) for Participants located in the UK, in the courts of England and Wales; (iii) for Participants located in Germany, in the courts of Germany. 

15. CONTACT DETAILS. 

All inquiries regarding the Contest may be directed to Vention at PR@ventionteams.com.

Last update: April 14, 2026