Every submission is scored across the following dimensions to ensure it’s meaningful, industry‑relevant, and useful to future founders. You don’t need to write an essay—just be clear and specific.

1) Clarity & Problem Quality (20%)

• The problem is specific (one issue, not many).
• You explain who experiences it, where/when it occurs, and the impact (time, cost, risk, frustration).
• Based on first‑hand observation (not hearsay).
• No confidential details from your employer.

2) Evidence of Pain & Frequency (20%)

• The issue is recurring or affects multiple users/teams.
• There are visible workarounds or measurable impact (e.g., delays, scrap, rework, overtime, safety incidents).
• There is urgency to fix it (deadlines, compliance, lost revenue, safety).

3) Market Potential (High‑Growth Lens) (30%)

We’re not asking you to pitch a solution—but we do assess whether this problem could support a high‑growth venture if solved.

Signals of sufficient potential (you don’t need all of them):

• Who would pay to solve this? (Name the buyer/user role or budget owner.)
• The problem likely exists beyond one company or site (industry‑wide patterns, standards, or common tech stacks).
• There is current spend on workarounds or inferior tools (licences, headcount, consultants, overtime, scrap).
• The problem sits in an area with regulatory drivers or clear KPIs (safety, uptime, emissions, quality, compliance).
• The affected market is sizeable or growing (e.g., >[X] organizations locally/globally; strong sector tailwinds).
• Stakeholders express willingness to pay or clear budget alignment (“We’d pay to fix this.” “We already spend $X on this.”).

Tip: A quick way to describe market potential is:
Who hurts + how many + how much it costs today + who has budget authority.

4) Existing Alternatives & Gaps (10%)

• What’s used today? (manual work, spreadsheets, legacy systems, consultants)
• Why is it not good enough? (accuracy, speed, cost, integration, usability)

5) Context from Co‑op (10%)

• Short, concrete examples from your work term that show authenticity (keep it non‑confidential).

6) Ethics, Safety & Compliance (Pass/Fail)

• Submissions must avoid disclosing confidential or proprietary information.
• Respect employer policies and your co‑op agreement.

Who decides? A rotating panel of MUN alumni with relevant industry experience makes final acceptance decisions using this rubric.

 

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Important Note on Rights & Intellectual Property

There’s no intellectual property in problem statements. Submissions do not include solutions nor any employer information.