Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Business & Economy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Business & Economy

Looking for Innovators for ACC InVenture Prize: Apply by Feb. 9

Tuesday, January 23, 2018, By Pamela Whiteley McLaughlin
Share
ACC Inventure PrizeBlackstone LaunchPadentrepreneurshipStudents

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is on a talent search for top student innovators who are inventing the future. Teams from Syracuse University are now being recruited for the InVenture Prize, a televised “Shark Tank”-style competition open to student startups at the 15 colleges and universities that are part of the ACC Academic Consortium.

young woman posing front of InVenture logo

Last year, Syracuse University entrepreneur Kate Beckman ’17, founder of FreshU and now a graduate student in the Newhouse School, made it to the final five of the InVenture competition at Georgia Tech, which was broadcast live and streamed by PBS.

The InVenture Prize Competition offers the only chance for ACC student innovators and inventors to compete in a televised pitch event in front of a live audience. Last year, Syracuse University entrepreneur Kate Beckman ’17, founder of FreshU and now a graduate student in the Newhouse School, made it to the final five at Georgia Tech, which was broadcast live and streamed by PBS.

The Blackstone LaunchPad at Bird Library will be hosting the campus qualifier to pick the top team to represent Syracuse University.  Online applications are due Feb. 9, with a campus pitch competition on Feb. 16. The winning team selected by a panel of judges will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Georgia Tech in Atlanta for the finals April 5-6, and a chance to compete for $30,000 in prize funding.

“Syracuse University has a very long and impressive culture and track record of innovation and entrepreneurship,” says Vice Chancellor and Provost Michele Wheatly. “This is a great opportunity for our incredibly talented students and recent graduates to go toe-to-toe with their ACC peers for prize money to launch their next venture.”

David Seaman, dean of libraries and University Librarian, adds, “Syracuse University Libraries are delighted to enhance the entrepreneurship ecosystem at Syracuse University through the successful mentoring and expert advice provided by the Blackstone LaunchPad on the first floor of Bird Library, and the lively community of students who use this innovation space day and night.”

In addition to Syracuse University, the 15 participating colleges are: Boston College, Clemson University, Duke University, Florida State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, North Carolina State, University of Notre Dame, University of Louisville, University of Miami, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Pittsburgh, University of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and Wake Forest University.

Eligibility requirements:

  • Each university finalist team may be composed of full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students or recent graduates of the university within one year of graduation from their undergraduate program.
  • If a team member is a recent graduate of the university, the idea for the invention must have been initially conceived while the student was enrolled as an undergraduate.
  • Full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students must comprise at least 50 percent of the registered team members. Individual teams with only one student are eligible to compete.
  • Teams with generated revenue or venture capital funding in excess of $100,000 are not eligible to compete.
  • Entrants should be the original creators, inventors or owners of the intellectual property (IP) underlying their invention. Any co-invention with non-students or any other third party outside the university must be fully disclosed during registration to determine if the outside contribution was substantial. A team whose idea or invention qualifies as university-owned IP is not eligible to enter.

Applications may be submitted online. Applicants selected for the Syracuse competition will create a pitch deck for the campus competition. Coaching in advance of the campus finals is available through the Blackstone LaunchPad and the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship’s Couri Hatchery.  Students who participated in Invent@SU—the Syracuse University invention accelerator— are strongly encouraged to apply.

Students may make appointments to meet at the Blackstone LaunchPad with experts from the U.S. Small Business Administration and New York State Small Business Development Center for technical assistance. Appointments for coaching or meetings with business advisors or professional service providers can be made by e-mail: launchpad@syr.edu.

About Syracuse University

Founded in 1870, Syracuse University is a private international research university dedicated to advancing knowledge and fostering student success through teaching excellence, rigorous scholarship and interdisciplinary research. Comprising 11 academic schools and colleges, the University has a long legacy of excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional disciplines that prepares students for the complex challenges and emerging opportunities of a rapidly changing world. Students enjoy the resources of a 270-acre main campus and extended campus venues in major national metropolitan hubs and across three continents. Syracuse’s student body is among the most diverse for an institution of its kind across multiple dimensions, and students typically represent all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Syracuse also has a long legacy of supporting veterans and is home to the nationally recognized Institute for Veterans and Military Families, the first university-based institute in the U.S. focused on addressing the unique needs of veterans and their families.

  • Author

Pamela Whiteley McLaughlin

  • Recent
  • Appointments Now Available for Wednesday, April 14–Sign Up Today!
    Monday, April 12, 2021, By News Staff
  • Twice-Weekly Testing Schedule (April 12-16)
    Monday, April 12, 2021, By Jen Maser
  • Message From Dean of Students Marianne Thomson
    Monday, April 12, 2021, By News Staff
  • COVID-19 Update: Get Vaccinated! | Submit Proof of Vaccination | Testing Center Hours
    Friday, April 9, 2021, By News Staff
  • Stephen Kuusisto Receives 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry
    Friday, April 9, 2021, By Ellen de Graffenreid

More In Business & Economy

Syracuse Hosting Hult Prize Regional Impact Competition

On Friday, April 9, Syracuse University Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars will virtually host approximately three dozen teams from 19 countries and all five continents for the prestigious Hult Prize Regional Impact Summit competition. This year’s Hult Prize 2021 Challenge…

New York Federal Reserve Bank President to Pay Virtual Visit to Syracuse

In an effort to hear more about Central New York’s economy and impact of the pandemic, President and CEO of the New York Federal Reserve Bank John C. Williams will be paying a virtual visit to Syracuse on Wednesday, March…

Funding Available for Student Innovation Plans

Syracuse University Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars is accepting applications on a rolling basis from undergraduate and graduate students who need help moving an idea from concept to commercialization. Grants of up to $2,500 may be awarded to individual students…

New Paper Questions the Safety and Reward of Investing in Business Development Companies

A new paper by Syracuse University Professor Joseph Warburton offers compelling new evidence of the risk of business development companies (BDCs). Warburton, who holds dual appointments as professor of law in the College of Law and professor of finance in…

Female Sport Analytics Students Look to Transform Their Love of Math, Sports into STEM Careers

Syracuse University senior Bailie Brown will be the first female to earn a bachelor’s degree in sport analytics from the Falk College when she completes her coursework in May 2021. She is grateful for connections made with women in sports…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.