Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership | Illinois

Competitions and Workshops

Competitions and Workshops

• Cozad New Venture Competition
  Organized by the Technology Entrepreneur Center and the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership, the V. Dale Cozad New Venture Competition (CNVC) is designed to encourage students, researchers, and community members to create new sustainable businesses in the Champaign-Urbana area. The competition encourages the development of the entrepreneurial spirit through teamwork and competition.
  
  
• The Golder Center Case Competition
  The Stanley C. Golder Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurial Finance focuses its programs on the roles and the impact that private equity and its investors have in financing new and growing businesses as well as in the financing of recapitalizations and restructuring of existing enterprises.
  
  
• Illinois Ventures
  Illinois Ventures fund computer science students with great ideas for a software or web based start-up company. During the 10 week summer program in Champaign, teams develop their idea into a working product.
  
  
• Idea to Product
  Idea To Product (I2P) is a unique academic competition looking at ideas at their earliest stage. I2P is not a business plan competition. I2P only requires a one-page submission, done according to a strict format, outlining an idea for a product (or service) and its market.
  
  
• Lemelson-Illinois Student Prize
  The $30,000 prize for outstanding innovation and invention is awarded annually, and is offered in conjunction with the Lemelson-MIT Program.
  
  
• C40 International Business Plan Competition
  The C40 International Business Plan Competition provides an opportunity for students to apply classroom learning to real world problems and engage directly with representatives from government and industry.
  
  
• Other external competitions

Workshops

• Invention 2 Venture
  The Technology Entrepreneur Center hosts Invention to Venture and Advanced Invention to Venture workshops for those interested in commercializing their new technology ideas.  These workshops are sponsored by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance.
  
  
• Silicon Valley Workshop
  The Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership, the Technology Entrepreneur Center and the College of Engineering send up to 25 students to Silicon Valley during the winter break for a 10 day technology entrepreneurship workshop and visits with startups and leading technology companies.