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.
Dates and Deadlines
Stella Zhang New Venture Competition Kick-Off
TBD
Concept Papers Due
TBD
Board Room Pitch
TBD
Grand Finale + Awards
TBD
About the Competition
Team Formation Criteria
Team Rules
The UCI Stella Zhang New Venture Competition is open to every UCI graduate and undergraduate student. Affiliation with the business school is not required.
To submit a concept paper, your team must have a least 2 members. Once teams make it to the Board Room Pitch phase, you will be required to have a minimum number of 3 people and a maximum of 6 people on your team and at least 2 team members must be UCI students.
At least 2 team members must be enrolled students at UCI. A registered student is defined as a bona fide student registered at UCI for at least two quarters during the 24-25 academic year.
Developing a robust and multi-talented team is essential to any new venture. Success in the Stella Zhang 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!
Business Concept Criteria
Teams must present an original idea for a venture which may not have been in existence for more than two years.
Note: Practice makes perfect. Teams who competed last year (but did not win a prize) can compete with the same idea this year. However, teams who won last year will not be able to compete with the same idea.
Teams must be in pre-incubator form and must not have received financial backing by professional third-party accelerators, incubators, existing companies, or venture capitalists in an amount greater than $10,000.
All business concepts must be created by the participant/team who has registered for the competition.
New ventures have unique considerations based on the business type. This has a direct impact on business formation and other early-stage considerations.
Teams compete in 1 of 5 tracks. The Stella Zhang New Venture Competition 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 receive a cash prize. They will then advance to compete in the Grand Finale for a grand prize to be announced. Additional specialty prizes may be announced as well.
All semi-finalists will be receiving AWS (Amazon Web Services) credit to use to create their websites.
Workshops 1 – 4 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.
Semi-finalists will continue to develop their business concept. Semi-finalists will prepare a pitch deck and present it to a panel of judges.
Teams present for 10 minutes followed by a 10-minute Q & A session. Using a five-point scale, judges will grade team presentations.
The highest-scoring teams within each of the 5 tracks will receive awards. Additional awards may also be announced.
Please consider the Judges Criteria when creating your pitch decks:
(Note: Criteria may be updated at any time. If the judging criteria are updated, they will be sent to the teams prior to the pitch dates.)
Returning this year is the exciting Grand Finale challenge! Teams who win first and second place in their tracks will 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 Grand Finale! Teams who can WOW our judges and the audience in a quick 3-minute pitch with a 5-minute Q&A from our esteemed judge panel will have the opportunity to win more prize money. Stay tuned for more information and updates.
Winners
🏆Competition Winner
Grad2Go
🥈Runner-Up
GlowGuard
🎖️Specialty Winners
Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship PCOSitive Buddy
EVONEXUS Audience Favorite Oslo
🏅Track Winners
Business Products & Services
TransMobile(1st Place) Immersive VR safety training for waste‐management drivers.
ServEasy(2nd Place) Reverse‐bidding auction platform for home services.
Life Sciences
NacoCoustics(1st Place) Wireless, child‐friendly nasometry for resonance disorders.
Oslo(2nd Place) Non‐invasive thermal/optical vital‐sign monitoring for seniors.
Consumer Products
GlowGuard(1st Place) Smart UV‐sanitizing retainer case with app tracking.
How to use library resources to learn about your industries, markets, and competitors
We encourage all teams to schedule an appointment with our Innovation and Entrepreneurship Librarian, Sara Heimann, for your custom research support. You can book an appointment here.
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:
Size and growth rate of the market addressed
Likelihood that the team can create a sustainable competitive advantage
Simplicity of the business model described
Believability of the team’s vision and plan
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
Executive Summary & Company Overview
Products or Services
Market Need
Market Potential for Product or Service
Competitive Advantage
Management
Financial Forecasts
Impact of Presentation
Communication of Evidence of a Market
Communication of Evidence of Ability to Execute
Communication of Evidence of a Return on Investment
Judges' Assessment of Scalability/Investment Potential
You can join a team by networking with classmates, reaching out through student organizations, or attending kickoff events and workshops where you can meet other participants. Consider forming a team with friends or classmates who share your entrepreneurial interests.
The competition is open to all UCI students. Access the submission site, complete the questionnaire, and upload your Concept Paper. Once your Concept Paper and student status verification are successfully uploaded, you will be considered entered! Watch this video for the info session from the 2025 Kickoff Event.
Don't worry! SZNVC provides workshops and resources to help you brainstorm and refine your ideas. You can also collaborate with team members to develop a concept together.
Your Concept Paper should clearly outline your business idea, target market, value proposition, revenue model, and team composition. It’s your opportunity to convey your vision and demonstrate the potential impact of your venture.
While changes to your team or concept may be possible, it’s generally best to finalize your idea before submission to maintain clarity and focus. Contact the SZNVC organizers if you need to discuss potential changes.
Yes, as long as you graduate in May 2025 or later, you will be eligible to participate in the competition.
That’s perfectly fine! SZNVC encourages innovative ideas at all stages. Just ensure that your concept is original and meets the eligibility criteria. Use the competition as an opportunity to gather feedback and refine your idea.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, reach out to the SZNVC organizing team at the Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. You can also connect with mentors and faculty advisors who can provide support.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, reach out to the SZNVC organizing team at the Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. You can also connect with mentors and faculty advisors who can provide support.
Determine upfront how equity will be allocated among team members. Clear agreements can help avoid misunderstandings later in the competition.
Sponsors
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, Jenn Huynh.
"The Stella Zhang New Venture Competition was a great experience that allowed me to dive into what it takes to launch a startup idea as someone with no entrepreneurial or business-related experience. We got lots of support and learned so much throughout all three stages of the competition, all the way to the Grand Finale! I would definitely do it again." - Shalini Bhakta, NVC Grand Finalist: Consumer Product Track in 2024
This entire competition is subject to the UCI Academic Integrity Policy as outlined in this link.
