The innovation and venture capital arm of the Society for Human Resource Management has launched a new competition for workplace technology innovations, with $50,000 on the line for the winner.

ParagonLabs' inaugural Better Workplaces Challenge Cup is a national competition for startup companies developing technologies to boost the HR profession and improve the work environment.

"Technology has undoubtedly taken center stage this year—showcasing its remarkable capabilities to enhance how we work," Guillermo Corea, managing director of ParagonLabs, said in a statement.

"Organizations have counted on it to support their workforces and help maneuver the challenges of working amid a global pandemic. ... This competition will open the door even wider for startups to harness the insights of HR to see how these technologies will stand up in the workplace. It's an opportunity to test these innovations in front of the very people who know the workplace best," he said.

The challenge begins with 19 local and five regional competition rounds, running from February to May. Five finalists will get to present their ideas to a panel of judges at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo June 20-23, a hybrid meeting with some live events in Chicago.

The winner receives $50,000 and guidance on venture funding.

MORE CEO DATELINE

• Association offering hotels as vaccination sites
• Trade groups for organic and sustainable foods merge
• Brewers Association returns postponed trade show to Denver