Case Study: Cal Poly achieves streamlined, equitable reviews for seven innovation programs with Submittable

Finding Tomorrow’s Innovators With Today’s Modern Submission Management Tools

Cal Poly’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) needed an equitable, flexible way to manage seven distinct submission processes across campus and to avoid scattered PDFs, emails, and administrative bottlenecks. They selected Submittable’s submission management platform to centralize applications and reviews for programs ranging from faculty fellowships to accelerator and pitch competitions.

Submittable provided a single, collaborative platform with permission levels and anonymous review, eliminating downloads and reducing administrative work. Over the last four years CIE has managed nearly 700 entries with 66 reviewers through Submittable, streamlined decision-making, and supported programs like Innovation Quest (which has awarded more than $350,000 since inception), improving fairness, accuracy, and efficiency.

Cal Poly

Lynn Metcalf

CIE Faculty Fellows Director