This is the week to apply for more than $65,000 in prize funding offered through campus idea competitions this fall. Apply here for three competitions sponsored by the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at Syracuse University: ‘Cuse Tank on October 16, The Impact Prize on November 13 and The Hult Prize on December 4. Students may compete in all three, or select which ones they are most interested in. The first deadline, October 4 for ‘Cuse Tank, is coming fast.
Here are some basics on the competitions:
- October 16, 2020 – ‘Cuse Tank (Applications close October 4 at 11:59 p.m.). Cuse Tank is sponsored by the LaunchPad as part of Family Weekend. It features parent entrepreneurs and “LaunchPad family” as judges in a “shark-Tank” style idea pitch fest with $10,000 in prizes.
- November 13, 2020 — Impact Prize Competition (Applications close November 1 at 11:59 p.m.). The Impact Prize Competition is a social impact entrepreneurship event showcasing ideas that solve pressing societal issues, with change-maker entrepreneurs as judges, and $15,000 in prizes for the best ideas.
- December 4, 2020 — Syracuse University Hult Prize Competition (Applications open on October 1 here and close November 22 at 11:59 p.m. for the Syracuse campus competition). Considered the “Nobel Prize of social entrepreneurship,” the global finals offer a $1 million grant prize. This year’s theme has been announced, “Food for Good.” Learn more here and register here: http://www.hultprize.org/challenge/
Work with us on your one-page executive summary and we’ll assign you mentors to help you. Many great ideas come for classes that require group projects, so consider taking your class idea and turning into a competition pitch. Ideas that started in Syracuse University dorm rooms or classrooms are now successful companies.
The Martin J. Whitman School of Management is also accepting applications by October 2 for the Orange Tank business pitch competition October 22, 2020, at 6 p.m., open to Whitman students and alumni. Apply here to Whitman for the Orange Tank competition.
Have questions, e-mail: LaunchPad@syr.edu
Are you a LaunchPad member? If not, please join here: https://launchpad.syr.edu/join/