Invent@NMU opens new kiosk on campus

MARQUETTE — Locals with an entrepreneurial spirit will now have an easier way to get their ideas onto the path to reality, thanks to a new kiosk on the NMU campus.

Invent@NMU has a new permanent kiosk set up on the first floor of Lydia M. Olsen Library to help take a product or business ideas to the next level.

The kiosk allows anyone to submit their ideas right online at no cost, and then Invent@NMU will start the first steps in seeing if the idea can move forward.

Kylie Bunting, the Marketing Coordinator for Invent@NMU, said the new kiosk will not only help with new businesses or products, but it also helps people see the services that they provide.

“We are technically on campus, but we are a little bit off the beaten path,” Bunting said. “So not a lot of people know that we are here and help students, faculty, and staff with any product or business ideas. So we thought partnering with the library was a great way to attract attention to that.”

At the kiosk, anyone with an idea fills out a quick submission form explaining what they would like to do, and that’s where Invent@NMU begins their process.

“We do what we call a ‘quick explore,’ which is a 15–minute look at the market to see what else is out there,” said Bunting. “Is there any direct competition that we want to make sure you’re aware of, or do we think this idea the way it is, is great to move forward with? And then we can take the idea the way the client wants to from there. If they want to move forward quickly, we can do that. If they want to take their time, that works too.”

Invent@NMU had a booth set up at the library on campus Tuesday to raise awareness for the kiosk, where they gave away prizes to anyone that submitted an idea, and one lucky person walked away with an iPad.