The Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation provide a number of opportunities for students interested in competitions and funding. Business competitions are a great way to validate ideas and raise seed funding for your startups. There are a number of local, regional, and national competitions that students can enter on their own. Our office will help you by getting you ready, and preparing you for the entire process of competing in business plan competitions. Pre-Approved competitions are faculty led and require a pre-selection process through our office. Listed below is a comprehensive list of local, regional, and national opportunities in which students are encouraged to participate.
Local & Regional
GVSU CEO Club Idea Pitch
Do you have a new product or business idea? Take your idea to the next level, make business connections and win cash; it just takes 90 seconds! Present your idea to a panel of West Michigan judges for a chance to win a big check. Location: Grand Rapids, MI.
Competition: Generally held the month of October. Light refreshments will be provided. If you have any questions regarding the competition, please us at [email protected]!
Grand Prize: $1,250
Notes: must be student led, no outside funding
77 IdeaLab Demo Day
Hosted by CEI, the 77 IdeaLab Demo Day is the culminating event of the 77 IdeaLab accelerator program where GVSU student teams will pitch their ideas and startups, after nearly three months of working on developing their concepts. Participation in this competition is limited to active cohort members of 77 IdeaLab.
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Application: Students apply to enter the 77 IdeaLab cohort in December, and the program takes place over the subsequent Winter semester.
Competition: Generally held in the 3rd or 4th week of April
Regional & National Competitions
|
Competition Name |
Location |
Application Deadline *check website for further details |
Prize |
Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5x5 Nights |
Grand Rapids, MI |
1 Week Prior |
$5,000 |
|
|
Baylor New Venture Competition |
Waco, TX |
November 1 |
Up to $250,000 |
|
|
CEO Global Pitch Competition |
Various |
September |
$20,600 |
|
|
Collegiate Inventors Competition |
Alexandria, VA |
June |
TBD |
|
|
D-Prize |
Varies |
June |
Up to $20,000 |
|
|
Detroit Demo Day |
Detroit, MI |
April |
Varies |
|
|
Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs |
Northampton, MA |
February |
$42,000 in cash and scholarships |
|
|
Dream Quest One: Poetry & Writing Contest |
Online |
Varies |
$250 |
|
|
e-Fest |
Minneapolis, MN |
February |
$75,000 Grand Prize |
|
|
Global Automotive Mobility Innovation Challenge |
Detroit, MI |
October |
$300,000+ |
|
|
International Business Model Competition |
Provo, UT |
April |
$40,000 Grand Prize |
|
|
John Pappajohn Iowa Business Plan Competition |
Iowa |
April |
TBD |
|
|
Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition |
Singapore |
June |
TBD |
|
|
Lemelson MIT Student Prize (Boston) |
Boston, MA |
September |
$10,000-$15,000 Grand Prize |
|
|
Lemelson MIT Student Prize (Cambridge) |
Cambridge, MA |
September |
$10,000-$15,000 Grand Prize |
|
|
Michigan Women Forward |
Virtual |
November |
$10,000 Grand Prize |
|
|
MIT 100k (requires an MIT student on team) |
Boston, MA |
October |
$100,000 |
|
|
Most Fundable Companies Competition |
Pepperdine University |
March |
TBD |
|
|
MWest Challenge |
West Michigan Colleges & Universities Group (WMCUG) |
March |
$12,000+ |
|
|
National U.Pitch Competition & Showcase |
Chicago, IL |
October |
$10,000 |
|
|
New Venture Championship (NVC) |
Portland, OR |
February |
$50,000+ |
|
|
New Venture Competition (Requires Harvard student on team) |
Boston, MA |
February |
$300,000 |
|
|
NYC Curb-to-Market Challenge |
New York, NY |
June |
$500,000 Grand Prize |
|
|
OPEN Minds |
Austin, TX |
November |
$6,000 |
|
|
Pitch and Catch Competition |
St. Louis University |
February |
$5,000 Grand Prize |
|
|
Rice Business Plan Competition |
Houston, TX |
February |
$350,000 Grand Prize |
|
|
TCU's Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures Competition |
Fort Worth, TX |
February |
$40,000 Grand Prize |
|
|
Tech.co Startup of the Year |
San Francisco, CA |
May |
TBD |
|
|
TigerLaunch |
Princeton University |
December |
$30,000+ |
|
|
Tulane Business Model Competition |
New Orleans |
January |
$25,000 Grand Prize |
|
|
University Startup World Cup |
Copenhagen, Denmark |
August |
$15,000 |