About NextMinds
Who We Are
NextMinds, formerly the Connecticut Invention Convention Inc, is an education nonprofit serving thousands of K-12 students and educators in New England annually. NextMinds manages the annual Connecticut and Massachusetts Invention Conventions, as well as other innovation and entrepreneurship programs within a variety of schools and community organizations.
Our Mission
NextMinds believes that innovation is for everyone. Inventors identify problems in their world and develop unique solutions to solve them. Our STEMIE (STEM + Innovation + Entrepreneurship) programs are low-cost, accessible and flexible. From school programs, to community groups, to at-home learners, NextMinds is on a mission to bring innovation education to young minds across New England and beyond.
Our Impact
Since its inception in 1983 as the Connecticut Invention Convention, an estimated 300,000 K-12 students have experienced our invention programs. NextMinds now serves more than 12,000 students annually in grades K-12 across Connecticut and Massachusetts.
In addition to the wide audience it reaches, NextMinds has produced many individual success stories that often result in students receiving patents and starting their own businesses.