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Sherwin-Williams, in partnership with ��ñ��’s Blackstone LaunchPad program, is sponsoring “Innov8athon IV: Innov8 Paint!” in order to “hack the painting process” and promote entrepreneurial thinking, creative prototyping and interdisciplinary collaboration among students in Northeast Ohio.

“For centuries, we have painted with what some refer to as ‘pig hair on a stick,’” said Victoria Scarborough, program director of external technology at Sherwin-Williams. “Painting is a messy and time-consuming process from preparation to clean up. We are looking for creativity and collaboration to discover new processes and ideas for the painting industry.”

This year’s Innov8athon will focus on specific problems and “paint points” in the painting industry such as user fatigue, coverage rate, and shortcomings of current tools. Student participants will have the opportunity to try current tools and methods firsthand at the event.

After a brief “Painting 101 workshop” there will be workstations and various types of equipment ranging from painting supplies and drywall to microprocessors such as Raspberry Pi, available for use.

The “Innov8 Paint!” event will take place on Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Kent State. Students from all universities, majors and backgrounds are invited to participate and will have the opportunity to learn from Sherwin-Williams. 

“We are excited to have Sherwin-Williams’ support in sponsoring this creative, cross-campus event that will provide our students with the opportunity to ‘hack’ and find solutions to recurring painting industry issues,” said Julie Messing, executive director of Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad program.

Teams have the opportunity to win $2,000 and have their ideas translated into Sherwin-Williams’ products. Additionally, all students in attendance will receive a $25 Visa gift card for their participation. 

For more information about Sherwin-Williams, visit

For more information about the Blackstone LaunchPad program at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/blackstonelaunchpad.

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Media Contacts:
Zach Mikrut, zmikrut@kent.edu, 330-672-6782
Kristin Anderson, kander63@kent.edu, 330-672-7907