External Competitions

Other Competition Opportunities Across the country year-round there are numerous competitions open to the MSU community. Discover a multitude of exciting opportunities to showcase your innovative ideas and talents through various pitch competitions. This curated page compiles a diverse range of pitch competitions, presented in chronological order based on upcoming deadlines. Stay informed and seize the chance to propel your entrepreneurial journey forward. Explore, participate, and unleash your potential with the Mississippi State E-Center's comprehensive guide to pitch competitions – where your ideas take center stage! Upcoming OpportunitiesVentureWell eTeams - Deadline 1/31/2024, 10:59pm CT Programming Date: April 18-19, 2024 Deadline: January 31, 2024, 11:59 p.m. CST Eligibility: Undergraduate, Graduate The E-Team Program, part of the VentureWell Accelerator, is designed to help student innovators in their entrepreneurial journey. The program offers up to $25,000 in non-dilutive grant funding, intensive training, mentorship, and networking opportunities. It focuses on teams with scalable innovations aiming to solve significant social, health, or environmental challenges. I thought you would be interested in applying for this program and wanted to share more details with you! Pioneer In-Person Workshop Dates: April 18-19, 2024 Propel In-Person Workshop Dates: May 2-3, 2024 See Details DOE EnergyTech University Prize - Deadline 2/1/2024, [...]

VentureCatalyst Grants

VentureCatalyst Grants Participants in the MSU VentureCatalyst™ program have access to up to $7,500 in grant funding through the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach. These funds may be used to advance a technology or innovation-based company across three rounds of funding. You must be accepted into VentureCatalyst prior to applying. Click Here. Stage 1 (Start)Stage 2 (Search)Stage 3 (Plan)Stage 1 (Start) 0 Award Amount Apply Online Download Stage 1 Guide Logistics: Pitch Length: 5-min Q&A: 5-min Format: Adobe PDF or MS PowerPoint only Medium: USB drive only Review Dates: Jan 26th, 2024 12:00pm (101 McCool Hall) (Apply by 1/19 @ 11:59pm) Feb 23rd, 2024 12:00pm (101 McCool Hall) (Apply by 2/16 @ 11:59pm) Mar 22nd, 2024 12:00pm (101 McCool Hall) (Apply by 3/17 @ 11:59pm) Apr 19th, 2024 12:00pm (101 McCool Hall) (Apply by 4/15 @ 11:59pm) Stage I Spark Grants are $500 fixed awards to help new entrepreneurs identify their customers and value proposition and develop a basic proof of concept or mock-up. Funded by alumni donors, the CEO annually awards up to 40 teams, reviewed on a rolling basis by the Peer Review Entrepreneurship Panel (PREP). Basis for Award Applicants will be assessed based upon on the following criteria: Does the [...]

Testbed

Startup Funding Programs The MSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach (CEO) provides up to $10,000 of funding to student and faculty startup companies through multiple programs. Three independent review boards that regularly review pitches evaluate and select all funding recipients. Click the tabs below to explore the many funding opportunities available. VentureCatalystBoost FundNSF I-CorpsSidecar FundVentureCatalyst VentureCatalyst Participants in the MSU VentureCatalyst™ program have access to up to $7,500 in grant funding through the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach. These funds may be used to advance a technology or innovation-based company across three rounds of funding. You must be accepted into VentureCatalyst prior to applying. Click Here. 0 Award Amount Apply Now (Stage I) Download Stage 1 Guide Stage I Spark Grants are $500 fixed awards to help new entrepreneurs identify their customers and value proposition and develop a basic proof of concept or mock-up. Funded by alumni donors, the CEO annually awards up to 40 teams, reviewed on a rolling basis by the Peer Review Entrepreneurship Panel (PREP). Basis for Award Applicants will be assessed based upon on the following criteria: Does the entrepreneur have seriousness, dedication, & focus? Demonstrates initiative and has put real work into idea; Conveys a sense [...]

MBA TechVenture Fellowship

Every year dozens of inventions happen all over MSU’s campus, and a portion of those will have significant commercial potential. While some are licensed to big companies, many are ripe for the right entrepreneur to turn into a great startup company. In many cases, the support infrastructure is there to support, but there is no one to take the idea and build the startup around it. The MBA TechVenture Fellowship provides an assistantship to MBA students with a technical background to explore launching a startup based on university intellectual property. The program is a partnership between the E-Center, MBA Program, and Office of Technology Management.