To compete in NVC, your team or venture must meet the following requirements:
- One core member of the venture must be a current CU Boulder student, faculty or staff member who has a valid CU Boulder BuffOne Card.
- Participating CU faculty & research staff members must certify that their Disclosure of External Professional Activities (DEPA) has been appropriately updated before registering.
- Members of the non-CU community may join a team, as long as at least one member of the team has a valid CU Boulder BuffOne Card AND a significant role in the business creation.
- The team must register for NVC by the application deadline. You can continue to add members to your team after registration is over.
- IMPORTANT: Finalists competing in the NVC Championships will be required to have a legal entity to be able to accept the prize money as well as complete a founder's agreement.
- If your startup team competed in a prior NVC year and advanced as a finalist to the Championships, then you may only compete again in NVC if it is a new idea. If you have any questions please contact us at cunvc@colorado.edu, as it is better to clarify than to miss the opportunity to participate.
Are you interested in joining a venture that is competing in the New Venture Challenge?
Follow these steps to register and apply to join a participating venture.
Create Your User Profile
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Access the user sign up link. You must input your First Name, Last Name, Email and Password. The password selected must be at least eight characters long and have one symbol, one lowercase letter and one uppercase letter. Then, select Sign Up.
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Upload a profile picture, specify your gender identity (optional) and your location (optional). Then, select Next.
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Select your CU Boulder affiliation. Note: If you are an Alumni or Student, you must specify your Graduation Year, College and Degree Type. Once done, select Next.
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Identify your Skills. These will appear on your profile and allow other users to find you and understand your background.
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Fill out your profile bio. This will help your profile stand out and provide helpful information to users and mentors.
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Answer any custom questions set by CU. Once you have completed your profile, browse jobs on the platform.
Do you have an idea for a new venture and need partners to bring your idea to life? Follow our guide, and you will be on your way to setting up your venture, finding partners and competing in the New Venture Challenge in April.
Follow our step-by-step guide to get started.
General Rules
- One core member of the venture must be a current CU Boulder student, faculty or staff member who has a valid CU Boulder BuffOne Card.
- Your venture may only complete in one special competition.
- Participating CU faculty & research staff members must certify that their Disclosure of External Professional Activities (DEPA) has been appropriately updated before registering.
- Registration closes Jan. 20, 2022.
- Your venture must have your executive summary and video pitch uploaded to the NVC Startuptree portal by 11:30 p.m. MST, Mar. 17, or you will be disqualified.
The executive summary is a brief document outlining the fundamental problem and solutions your business is addressing. It includes the most interesting and important aspects of the business.
The executive summary should be no longer than two pages. The document must have one inch margins in 12 point font. Pages should be numbered. Compressed type is not permitted. Failure to meet these guidelines may lead to disqualification. The team must be registered and has submitted their Executive Summary PDF via the website portal
2-Page Executive Summary:
Overview (1 paragraph)
Problem You Are Solving
Idea/Solution
Evidence of Market Research
Brief Business Plan
The video pitch may not exceed 5 minutes.
Promising Idea & Feasibility: 50 points
- Is there a clear need presented?
- Does the presentation provide a viable solution for this need?
- Does the venture have a new, disruptive or unique concept that will provide it with a competitive advantage in a given market?
- Has the team proven they understand exactly who their customer is?
- Does the team have the necessary skills to execute on the idea as presented?
- Does the venture have financial, operational and technological viability to succeed?
- Does the venture have practical milestones and timelines?
Momentum: 25 points
- Is there a website or app?
- Do they have a prototype?
- Has the team conducted a pilot?
- Have customer interviews been conducted?
- Are there actual paying customers?
- Has the team leveraged marketing tools like ads, social media, search engine optimization, unconventional PR, email strategies, etc.?
Quality of Presentation: 25 points
- Did the presenters finish their presentation within the allotted time?
- Was the presentation/presenter compelling?
- Were visuals or demonstrations used to enhance the presentation?
- Did the team have well-thought-out answers to questions posed by the judges?
General Rules
- One core member of the venture must be a current CU Boulder student, faculty or staff member who has a valid BuffOne Card.
- Your venture may only compete in one special competition.
- Participating faculty & research staff members must certify that their Disclosure of External Professional Activities (DEPA) has been appropriately updated before registering.
The executive summary is a brief document outlining the fundamental problem and solutions your business is addressing. It includes the most interesting and important aspects of the business.
The executive summary should be no longer than 2 pages. The document must have one inch margins in 12 point font. Pages should be numbered. Compressed type is not permitted. Failure to meet these guidelines may lead to disqualification. The team must be registered and has submitted their Executive Summary PDF via the website portal.
Two Page Executive Summary:
Overview (1 paragraph)
Problem You Are Solving
Idea/Solution
Evidence of Market Research
Brief Business Plan
The video pitch may not exceed 5 minutes.
Promising Idea & Feasibility: 50 points
- Is there a clear need presented?
- Does the presentation provide a viable solution for this need?
- Does the venture have a new, disruptive or unique concept that will provide it with a competitive advantage in a given market?
- Has the team proven they understand exactly who their customer is?
- Does the team have the necessary skills to execute on the idea as presented?
- Does the venture have financial, operational and technological viability to succeed?
- Does the venture have practical milestones and timelines?
Momentum: 25 points
- Is there a website or app?
- Do they have a prototype?
- Has the team conducted a pilot?
- Have customer interviews been conducted?
- Are there actual paying customers?
- Has the team leveraged marketing tools like ads, social media, search engine optimization, unconventional PR, email strategies, etc.?
Quality of Presentation: 25 points
- Did the presenters finish their presentation within the allotted time?
- Was the presentation/presenter compelling?
- Were visuals or demonstrations used to enhance the presentation?
- Did the team have well-thought-out answers to questions posed by the judges?
Watch our virtual Judge Training video and walk step-by-step through the judging process in StartupTree. Follow along with the PowerPoint linked below or for a quick refresher.