Launch Academy Announces 2014 Student Startup Challenge
Launch Academy launched its annual Student Startup Challenge this morning.
The SSC’s mission is to encourage more post-secondary students and recent grads to embrace entrepreneurship and build their startup ideas. Finalists will receive three months of free office space, mentorship, $100,000 in startup perks, and a chance to compete for $5,000 in cash prizes.
The SSC invites aspiring student entrepreneurs to submit a one-minute video pitch of their idea by May 23; public voting will then open until May 30. The most-voted-for teams will be shortlisted down to five finalists by major names from the Vancouver tech scene including Version One Ventures’ Boris Wertz, who just joined Silicon Valley VC giant Andreessen Horowitz as a board member. At the end of the three-month period, student teams will have a chance to pitch their ideas to investors.
Last year’s Student Startup Challenge attracted nearly 40 teams from around the province, with Cognilab taking home the grand prize and soon after being accepted into local accelerator GrowLab.
The Student Startup Challenge is open to BC residents who are students or have graduated from their respective schools within the past two years. Those interested in participating do not need a business plan nor prototype, but ideas must be web or mobile-based, and eligible teams must consist of two to three members with at least one person with a technical background.
