A team of students from the VCU Brandcenter won the international MBA Innovation Challenge. The Innovation Challenge competition is the world’s largest and most established business innovation competition. For nine years running, the brightest and most creative graduate students from universities all over the world have been matched with leading companies in an experience designed to address the most pressing business and social innovation challenges. This is the 4th time we’ve entered the Innovation Challenge competition. In 2008, we came in 2nd out of 264 teams.This year, our team bested 186 other business school teams from the most prestigious B-schools like Wharton, UVA, Harvard, Duke, UC Berkley, Indian School of Business, London School of Business, MIT, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, UNC-CH, UCLA and many others. Not only did a team from the Brandcenter win, but we had three teams in the final 15, the only school to have do so.

We are so proud of “Team Brandslam” (Jennifer Clinehens, Cody Pate, Katlyn Williams and Ryan Dowling) for winning the Innovation Challenge and earning the VCU Brandcenter the title of  ”the most innovative business school in the world.”

A very special thanks to Professor Don Just for his leadership, advising and mentoring of all of the teams including Team Brandslam’s project for AT&T. They were charged with developing a cloud-based program to help businesses cut costs for AT&T.

The team and Don are ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange this afternoon and they’ll be holding the grand prize check for $20,000.

Again, we’re very proud of Don and the team AND for the opportunity to prove to the world what we’ve known all along….that the VCU Brandcenter is “the most innovative business school in the world.”

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2011/05/cats-in-tanks/

YEARS from Bartholomäus Traubeck on Vimeo.

A record player that reads “ring data” on slices of wood and translates it into music. Cool for musicians, engineers and wood enthusiasts alike!

Some interesting information on volcano observatories around the world. Very cool!

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/watching-the-eruptions-volcano-observatories-around-the-world/

Check out this awesome and creative street art that Tout-bon.com posted from last year.

http://www.tout-bon.com/best-of-street-art-2011/

Andy, Brandon and Neil honoring MLK day. Lookin’ good guys!

Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. sells a range of Superhero outfits, supplies and gear for those looking to do vigilante justice. Everything from your basic cape to a jug invisibility fluid. Who knew for $11 you can have a gallon can of immortality? Great design and very fun. Check out their site for all the crazy superhero goodness. http://www.superherosupplies.com/

http://bergcloud.com/littleprinter/

“Little Printer lives in your home, bringing you news, puzzles and gossip from friends. Use your smartphone to set up subscriptions and Little Printer will gather them together to create a timely, beautiful mini-newspaper.”

We are pretty excited for this little printer to become available.

Cuppow is a custom-molded, BPA-free recyclable plastic lid that instantly transforms your standard Mason or Bell jar into a nifty little reusable drinking vessel!

http://www.mnn.com/food/beverages/blogs/wam-bam-cuppow-lid-transforms-glass-jars-into-travel-mugs

Author of The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Work Week and The 4-Hour Chef, Tim Ferris shows us that being your best possible self is easier than you think. He offers advice to attain the ideal lifestyle by promoting practices outside of medical mainstream. Andy is attempting Ferriss’s Slow Carb Diet challenge for the next few weeks having read the book last year and tested some of the methods. He has successfully turned down all of the pastries, bagels and cookies that were brought into WORK today.

We’re ecstatic to see our name amongst all the other great designers and brands that made up The Dieline’s Top 100 Package Designs of 2011. Our WORK Beer was sent off to them early in the year and came in at #37. Our LAB RATS Alpha Kit squeeked in just below at #35. Thanks to The Dieline and everyone who helped make this work great! Congrats to the rest of the list as well. If you haven’t seen The Dieline and this years winners, be sure to check it out here.

We really like this smart bathroom signage solution by Aliza Dzik.

Check out these awesome WORK tools that we just got back from our friends at Big Secret!  Happy Friday!