🔒CT Invention Convention rebrands as NextMinds, expands nationally and globally

A venerable Connecticut institution is spreading its wings beyond state borders — and even globally — bringing entrepreneurship and innovation into classrooms and communities far from where it began. At the same time, the Connecticut Invention Convention (CIC) is positioning itself, with the help of corporate partners, as an early link in the state’s workforce pipeline. CIC, founded in 1983, has served an estimated 300,000 K-12 children over the decades. Annually it brings programs to more than 12,000 students in nearly 300 participating Connecticut schools. Now as it ventures outside the state, the organization is rebranding as NextMinds. “When I describe our program, I like to say Shark Tank meets science fair,” said Nick Briere, NextMinds’ CEO. Invention Convention is typically delivered as a six- to 12-week program, offered in classrooms, after-school clubs or community settings such as Boys & Girls Clubs. The curriculum guides students through identifying a real-world problem, developing and refining an original invention, and explaining their thinking through written and oral presentation. NextMinds provides the curriculum, while participating schools or organizations supply the instruction and on-the-ground support. Students’ inventions can take them to state finals, and even onto national or international competition. Briere says it’s about exposing kids to innovation at a young age. “There exists an absolute treasure trove of data that indicates that if you want to change the trajectory of a child’s life — whether that be educationally, whether that be professionally, whether that be socio-emotionally — you really want to do that before eighth grade,” he said.

Greater involvement

When Adam Parks, a challenge and enrichment teacher at Hebron Elementary School, evaluated programs for his students, he said Invention Convention stood out from more traditional science fairs. “The requirements for Invention Convention are much more stringent for the kids because they do have to come up with a new idea, they have to have a working prototype,” he said. Not every invention is high-tech, or even rooted in science, Parks said, but each must be original and designed to solve a real problem. Students are also required to pitch their ideas to judges during competitions. He pointed to Hebron first-grader Rachel Smith, who won an award at a global Invention Convention event a few years ago for a charm bracelet she designed. Each charm on Smith’s “Remember It” bracelet is designed to remind the wearer about a task they need to complete; the charm can be turned over when the task is done. Parks says Smith is still something of a celebrity in the district, and her run has inspired a lot of participation. “It’s amazing how that success breeds more involvement and more success,” he said. Parks’ involvement eventually extended beyond the classroom. About three years ago, he joined the organization’s board and now advises the nonprofit on curriculum development and classroom implementation.

That work comes as the organization stretches its capacity. The nonprofit has just six full-time employees. It has grown its budget from $300,000 in 2020 to more than $1 million today, but its ambitions are even bigger. “We’re currently in the process of developing more curriculum than the organization has kicked out in the previous 40 years,” CEO Briere says. That expansion is driven in part by a push to reach students beyond the classroom. Briere said the organization is focusing on young people who may be disengaged from traditional school settings but reachable through community-based organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs, YWCAs and social service agencies. Other initiatives include programs aimed specifically at girls that highlight the work of female inventors, curriculum designed to support kindergarten teachers, and programming delivered in correctional facilities. Another effort, being developed in partnership with the state of Connecticut, is focused on introducing younger students to the skilled trades, with the goal of strengthening the pipeline to the state’s technical high schools. “We’re developing a version of Invention Convention that provides early experiences to the trades and allows students to create inventions that solve problems within those contexts,” Briere says.

Workforce pipeline

Briere himself was an Invention Convention kid. He cites his first experience at the age of seven, participating in his school’s own competition. In 2015, post-college, Briere co-founded the National Invention Convention, raising more than $5 million to support invention education programs across the country and a national finals competition. He was drawn back to Connecticut about five years ago, after the pandemic forced a pause in programming and gave the organization an opportunity to reassess its long-term direction. “That ​was ​a ​really ​compelling ​notion ​for ​me,” Briere said. “I ​thought, ​you ​know, ​why ​not ​take ​a ​risk?” Part of that risk involved expanding beyond Connecticut. Invention Convention programs now operate in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The organization has also run competitions for students in Donetsk, a sister region of Connecticut in Ukraine, as well as in Nigeria and India. The rebrand to NextMinds reflects that broader scope, with the umbrella organization overseeing both the Connecticut Invention Convention and its out-of-state and international efforts. Supporting that growth has required an ongoing fundraising effort. Briere said the organization relies on a diversified funding base, including state support that has helped eliminate registration fees for state finals, and corporate backing. “I’m a big fan of corporate fundraising because I think corporations hold your feet to the fire, and they force you to innovate. They have a very high standard for excellence,” he said. RTX, Stanley Black & Decker and Boehringer Ingelheim have all been significant supporters of NextMinds, and the nonprofit recently signed a multiyear funding agreement with ASML, the Dutch semiconductor company that has its North American headquarters in Wilton. ASML has committed $775,000 over three years to support the expansion of NextMinds’ learning management system, the development of industry-specific curricula — including in energy, manufacturing, sustainability and medicine — and the scaling of programs aimed at historically underrepresented students. Brian Amero, ASML’s program manager for society and community engagement, said NextMinds’ focus on younger students aligns with his company’s long-term workforce development goals. “If we were to start this level of programming and approach at the high school level, it’s too late — kids in many ways have already made up their minds, or they have not had that pipeline of experiences and exposure that really help build the fundamentals and build a strong foundation when it comes to STEM,” Amero said. ASML and other companies also provide thousands of volunteers every year to help run events, mentor kids and judge competitions. “Our ​employees ​are ​really ​energized ​to ​see ​the ​level ​of ​creativity ​and ​energy ​and ​excitement ​that ​students ​across ​the ​state ​of ​Connecticut ​bring ​to ​this ​particular ​program,” Amero said. “I ​think ​they ​see ​themselves ​reflected ​in ​this ​next ​generation ​of ​engineers, ​scientists ​and ​community ​leaders.”