  We present a method designed to identify the spectral type of young (less
than ~30 days after explosion) and nearby (z < ~0.05) supernovae (SNe) using
their broad-band colors. In particular, we show that stripped-core SNe (i.e.,
hydrogen deficient core-collapse events, spectroscopically defined as SNe Ib
and SNe Ic, including broad-lined SN 1998bw-like events) can be clearly
distinguished from other types of SNe. Using the full census of nearby SNe
discovered during the year 2002, we estimate the impact that prompt multi-band
photometry, obtained by 1m class telescopes, would have on the early
identification of stripped-core events. Combining this new approach with
ongoing spectroscopic follow-up programs, one can expect ~20 nearby,
stripped-core events to be identified, each year, around, or before, maximum
light. Follow-up studies, including prompt, multi-epoch optical spectroscopy
and spectropolarimetry, as well as radio and X-ray observations, could greatly
increase our understanding of these events, and shed new light on their
association with cosmological gamma-ray bursts.
