The UK Venture Challenge gives all current UK students – undergraduates, graduates and Ph.D.s – an opportunity to show off their entrepreneurial spirit and pitch innovative ideas.
Registration is open for this year’s University of Kentucky Venture Challenge, the university-wide competition for student entrepreneurs. The challenge will take place Saturday, Feb. 18, at the William T. Young Library's UK Athletics Auditorium.
The UK Venture Challenge gives all current UK students — undergraduate, graduate and doctoral — an opportunity to show off their entrepreneurial spirit and pitch innovative ideas. They gain valuable experience, contacts and mentors in the local entrepreneurial community as they go through UK’s annual Venture Challenge competition.
The public is invited to the Young Library auditorium Saturday, Feb. 18, to see the students pitch their ideas to a panel of entrepreneurs from the Lexington community. The entrepreneurs evaluate the students' presentations as potential investors would.
There are three requirements to compete:
- Register your team/click on Participate.
- Write a three- to five-page proposal by Tuesday, Feb. 7. (proposal guidelines)
- Pitch your venture Saturday, Feb. 18, at Young Library.
The first place team wins $1,500, second place wins $1,000, and third place wins $500. All three winning teams will represent UK at the state competition, Idea State U, sponsored by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
The public is invited to vote for their favorite student venture. The popular vote winning team will receive $50.
UK Venture Challenge is organized by iNET, the Innovation Network for Entrepreneurial Thinking, in the College of Communication and Information, with the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship and the Lexington Office of the Kentucky Innovation Network in the Gatton College of Business and Economics.
Other sponsors are the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership, an economic development partnership between UK, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and Commerce Lexington; the Gatton College of Business and Economics; and the College of Communication and Information.
For more information, contact: Deb Weis, Warren Nash or Mariam Gorjian.