$ Philadelphia Open Innovation Tournament 2025

Use AI to rapidly generate diverse ideas across different domains:

• • Domain Mapping: Have AI create a comprehensive map of the problem space, identifying all possible angles and approaches
• • Constraint Exploitation: Ask AI to generate ideas that explicitly leverage or bypass specific constraints
• • Combinatorial Thinking: Use AI to combine concepts from different domains for novel solutions
• • Quantity First: Generate hundreds of ideas quickly, then filter for quality

Successful participants typically generate 50-100 ideas using AI before selecting their top concepts to develop further.

Use AI to simulate diverse customer perspectives:

• • Persona Embodiment: Create detailed user personas and have AI respond as those users would to your concept
• • Objection Anticipation: Ask AI to generate likely objections from different stakeholder groups
• • Preference Simulation: Use AI to simulate how different customer segments would prioritize features
• • Edge Case Identification: Have AI identify unusual use cases or extreme user scenarios

This approach provides rapid feedback that helps refine concepts before real-world testing, dramatically accelerating the innovation cycle.

Leverage AI to create functional prototypes across different modalities:

• • Visual Design: Generate UI mockups, product visualizations, and branding elements
• • Content Creation: Develop marketing copy, documentation, and user guides
• • Code Generation: Create functional code snippets or entire proof-of-concept applications
• • Process Mapping: Design service blueprints and implementation roadmaps

Teams that effectively use AI for prototyping can present more polished concepts with less effort, allowing them to focus on differentiation and core value.

Use AI to critically evaluate your ideas from multiple perspectives:

• • Competitive Analysis: Have AI evaluate your concept against potential competitors
• • Implementation Challenges: Ask AI to identify technical, operational, or market barriers
• • Regulatory Concerns: Use AI to highlight potential compliance issues
• • Business Model Evaluation: Have AI analyze the viability of your revenue and cost assumptions

By proactively addressing weaknesses identified through AI criticism, teams can develop more robust solutions that stand up to judge scrutiny.

Use AI to refine your final pitch:

• • Narrative Structure: Have AI help craft a compelling story around your innovation
• • Visual Enhancement: Generate professional slides and visual aids
• • Objection Preparation: Practice with AI by simulating judge questions
• • Data Visualization: Create impactful charts and graphs to support your claims

The most successful teams use AI not just for content creation but as a collaborative partner throughout the entire presentation development process.