We’re gearing up for competition season at the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at SU Libraries. Applications open this week, with the first deadline for the ACC InVenture Prize coming up quickly on January 20, 2021. Bookmark key dates for spring competitions and use the common app, which is now live, to apply here for competitions hosted by the LaunchPad.
Syracuse University Spring Competition Schedule:
- January 4, 2021, Applications open for spring competitions
- January 20, 2021, Applications due for the ACC InVenture Prize campus competition. Apply here.
- January 29, 2021, ACC InVenture Prize campus competition
- March 15, 2021, Applications due for Raymond von Dran (RvD) iPrize (with teams automatically entered into the Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards, as well as Compete CNY, the regional qualifier for the New York Business Plan Competition, which are both part of this event). Apply here.
- March 19, 2021, Applications due for Panasci Business Plan Competition. Apply through the Whitman School of Management and learn more on the competition website.
- March 26, 2021, RvD iPrize, Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards and Compete CNY (concurrent events)
- April 5, 2021, Applications due for Intelligence ++ Competition. Apply here.
- April 23 – 24, 2021, Panasci Business Plan Competition, Whitman School of Management
- April 16, 2021, Intelligence ++ Competition
- May 7, 2021, New York Business Plan Competition (top winners of the RvD iPrize competition move on to the state event)
About the competitions:
- ACC In Venture Prize: Sponsored by the LaunchPad on behalf of Syracuse University and open to all undergraduate students or recent graduates within one year of graduation from their undergraduate program. The prize competition pits top inventors and innovators of the ACC network against each other at a PBS-televised event. It features a $5,000 grand prize sponsored by M&T Bank for the Syracuse campus competition and a $30,000 prize package for the top ACC Conference winners.
- Raymond von Dran (RvD) iPrize: Open to all graduate and undergraduate students working on venture ideas for products, services, technologies and social impact ventures. Sponsored by the iSchool, the competition typically features a prize package of more than $40,000. The competition is also part of Compete CNY, the regional qualifier for the New York State Business Plan Competition.
- Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards: Open to undergraduate and graduate students at Syracuse competing in the iPrize, the competition features a prize package of $10,000 from the Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund (Hunter’s Fund) in memory of Hunter Brooks Watson, a Syracuse University iSchool student who passed away in a 2016 distracted driving accident. This competition is concurrent with the RvD iPrize.
- Compete CNY and New York Business Plan Competition: Contestants in the RvD iPrize are automatically entered into this regional qualifier for the New York Business Competition. The qualifier runs concurrently with the RvD iPrize. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students at New York State Universities. Check for details on this year’s competition here.
- Panasci Business Plan Competition: Sponsored by the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and open to all graduate and undergraduate students, typically with a prize package of more than $40,000. This is a separate application through the Whitman School, so check for details on the competition website.
- Intelligence ++ Competition: Supported by a generous gift to SU Libraries by Gianfranco Zaccai ’70 H’09 and the Zaccai Foundation for Augmented Intelligence (Intelligence++), this challenge is focused on inclusive entrepreneurship and design. It is open to all undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines, with a $30,000 prize package. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged to submit proposals for products, services or technologies that address problems or create new opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. It is offered through a partnership between the LaunchPad, the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education (InclusiveU) and the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). This is a separate application from the common app, so apply for this competition here.
The LaunchPad team at SU Libraries is available to assist teams interested in competing. To schedule a meeting to discuss your idea, get matched with a peer mentor, or participate in pitch workshops, please e-mail LaunchPad@syr.edu
For the latest news about these competitions and other funding opportunities for your great idea, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, as well as our LinkedIn company page and Instagram.
Photo caption: Kate Beckman ’17 and G ’18 (Newhouse School of Public Communications) pitching in the finals of the 2018 New York Business Plan Competition where she won top prize in her category. Kate won the ACC InVenture prize in 2017, advanced to the top five in the 2017 ACC Conference finals, and also won the 2018 RvD iPrize.