Washington, DC - Teen Named 'Youth Inventor of the Year'

Washington, DC - 18 year-old Cassidy Goldstein from Scarsdale, NY was named “Youth Inventor of the Year” in recognition of her Crayon Holder invention. Ms. Goldstein was presented her award on Capital Hill by Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and IPO Foundation President Harry Gwinnell.

Cassidy was just 11 years old when she invented the Crayon Holder, a patented plastic drawing device which makes it possible to color with broken crayons. The Crayon Holder is licensed to Rand International and is available nationwide in retail stores and catalogues and also for back-to-school shoppers at Wal-Mart. The product has also been embraced for children with fine motor challenges as it makes it easier to hold and draw with crayons.
“I am deeply honored to be the first youth to receive the IPO’s ‘Inventor of the Year’ award,” said Cassidy Goldstein, now 18 years old. “Kids have boundless creativity, but have been under recognized. For example, did you know that the Calculator was invented by an 18 year old? Awards like this draw needed attention to the creative potential of young people.”

The process of patenting and licensing is very difficult. Many adult inventors - let alone kid inventors - lack the resources and knowledge to navigate the process. Through sharing in his daughter’s experiences, Norman Goldstein was inspired to found an organization dedicated to making the invention and commercialization process easy and accessible for all kids.