DATES AND DEADLINES | ABOUT | COMPETITION RESOURCES | SPONSORS
Calling All Creators, Inventors, and Aspiring Entrepreneurs! The UCI New Venture Competition offers you the opportunity to form a team, launch a startup and potentially fund a business idea – all within seven months. The competition is open to all UCI students, staff members and researchers as well as community members. Teams compete for $100,000 in cash prizes plus additional professional services!
Competitors have full control and ownership over what their team creates. We connect you with potential teammates, provide you with the tools to transform your idea into a concept, and even match teams with industry mentors to help you develop your concept into a viable business.
Please register for the workshops that you would like to attend. Those who have registered will be sent access links to Zoom workshop sessions and live Q&A session.
| Kickoff | January 13, 2021 |
| Workshop 1: How to Come Up With a Billion Dollar Idea | January 20, 2021 |
| Workshop 2: From Idea to Business | January 27, 2021 |
| Elevator Pitch Submission OPENS | January 31, 2021 |
| Workshop 3: How to Write a Winning Concept Paper | February 3, 2021 |
| Workshop 4: How to Form a Winning Team | February 17, 2021 |
| Workshop 5: Is There a Market for Your Product? | February 24, 2021 |
| Concept Papers & Videos Due | February 28, 2021 |
| Workshop 6: Demystifying Intellectual Property | April 7, 2021 |
| Workshop 7: How to Go to Market | April 14, 2021 |
| Workshop 8: How to Make Money | April 21, 2021 |
| Workshop 9: How to Build a Winning Pitch Deck | April 28, 2021 |
| Workshop 10: How to Pitch and Deal with Q&A (Tips & Tricks for Pitching Online) | May 5, 2021 |
| Board Room Pitches Day 1 | May 13, 2021 |
| Board Room Pitches Day 2 | May 14, 2021 |
| Ant Tank Finale | May 29, 2021 |
*All dates are subject to change
Recommendations
Developing a robust and multi-talented team is essential to any new venture. Success in the New Venture Competition is no different. Reach beyond your classmates to form a team of many strengths and talents from across campus.
Don’t forget that only 2 team members must be enrolled at UCI. Consider recruiting UCI faculty, staff, alumni and others to your team!
New ventures have unique considerations based on business type. This has a direct impact on business formation and other early-stage considerations.
Teams compete in 1 of 5 tracks. NVC programming addresses unique considerations for each track. Teams also benefit by working with industry mentors and judges familiar with their type of business.
The first and second place teams in each track at the Semi Final Board Room round will each receive $10,000 and $5,000 respectively. They will then advance to compete in the Ant Tank Grand Finale for a grand prize to be announced. Additional specialty prizes may be announced as well.
Workshops 1 – 3 prepare teams to submit a 3-page concept paper, a document similar to an executive summary. Judges score the papers to determine the semi-finalists who will advance to the next round. 60 Second pitch videos will also be due along with your team’s concept paper to qualify you for the Wildcard round. We will be sharing examples of a quick pitch video shortly- stay tuned!
Concept papers are due by 11:59 a.m. on Thursday, February 20, 2020.
Concept Papers:
Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
60-second Pitch Resources:
"How to do a fast pitch" tips from Don Kasle, Chairman Emeritus of Tech Coast Angels
Book an appointment with Jaune Odombrown, ANTrepreneur Center Manager
Teams who do not score high enough marks on their concept paper to qualify them for the Semi-Finals will still have a chance to stay in the competition through the Wildcard round. This is a new round designed to recognize great ideas that can get a lot of support.
Each team will have submitted a short 60 second video on February 20 along with their concept papers. After the papers have been scored and results have been announced on March 3, teams who do not instantly advance will have the opportunity to compete for the highest amount of votes on their videos. The top 1-3 teams who receive the most votes will re-enter the competition and compete in the Semi-Final Board Room round! We’ll be posting more rules and information shortly - stay tuned!
Semi-finalists continue to develop their business concept. A pitch deck is prepared and is presented to a panel of judges. The Final Presentations will be hosted at the Merage School on Friday, May 8, 2020.
Teams present for 10 minutes followed by an 10-minute Q & A session. Using a 5-point scale, judges grade team presentations on whether or not each topic that is addressed favors success.
The highest scoring teams within each of the 5 tracks receive awards. Additional awards may also be announced.
Please consider the Judges Criteria when creating your pitch decks:
*Note: Due to COVID 19 and campus closure, this round will be hosted via Zoom*
New this year, the teams who win first and second place in their tracks not only walk away with their share of the prize money, but they will also compete head to head in a LIVE Shark Tank inspired quick-pitch for our Ant Tank Grand Finale! We have more prize money on the table for the teams who can WOW our judges and the audience in a quick 3 minute pitch with 5 minute Q&A from our esteemed judge panel. Stay tuned for more information and updates.
*Note: Due to COVID 19 and campus closure, this round will be hosted via Zoom*
General Information and Sponsorship Opportunities:
Breanna Hale
949.824.1172
haleb@uci.edu
NVC Research: Top 5 Tips (3:27)
NVC Research: Ideation & Business Models (2:59)
NVC Research: Industries and Markets, Market Validation, & Competitive Analysis (2:48)
Concept Papers:
Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
60-second Pitch Resources:
"How to do a fast pitch" tips from Don Kasle, Chairman Emeritus of Tech Coast Angels
Book an appointment with Jaune Odombrown, ANTrepreneur Center Manager
Concept Paper Judging Criteria
Business Products Services Judging Rubric
Consumer Products Judging Rubric
Consumer Services Judging Rubric
Social Enterprise Judging Rubric
Our judges are professionals who come from various business backgrounds and include experienced investors, entrepreneurs, and senior business practitioners who interact with early stage companies. Each judge is an expert in the process of starting a business. The judges consider specific criteria when evaluating concept papers and pitch decks, however, ultimately, winning teams are those in which the judges would most likely invest their own money. This decision is influenced heavily by several factors, including:
Specifically, judges evaluate each semi-finalist team on the strength of their plan and overall presentation, often this includes criteria such as:
Quality of Business Environment Assessment and Model Design
Impact of Presentation
Judges' Assessment of Scalability/Investment Potential
Ken and Carla Neeld 
The Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship strives to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship for the 21st century through all our events and activities. Support from the corporate community enables us to produce research and programs to empower future innovators and current business leaders. Support our vision by supporting this program.
Learn more about sponsorships by contacting, Breanna Hale.
"The New Venture Competition defined my college experience. It provided me with a platform to pursue my entrepreneurial ambitions, meet inspiring and talented people, and ultimately leave my mark at UCI." - Keene Do, UCI BA, Business Administration 2018, 1st Place NVC Winner: Social Enterprise Track in 2018
This entire competition is subject to the UCI Academic Integrity Policy as outlined in this link.
