General Information

The 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. Teams are invited to create a business plan around a topic of their choice. Assistance is available in the form of mentors, workshops, and courses to guide teams through the phases of business plan creation.

There is no limit to the number of teams that can enter the CNVC. Students can serve on multiple teams. The Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC) will work with judges to determine up to 10 finalist teams that will present their business plan at the finals event. Teams in the final round will compete for an estimated $50,000 in cash, plus valuable in-kind prizes. Finalists and winners will have the opportunity to meet with venture capitalists, early stage investors and successful entrepreneurs who will serve as judges for the finals round.

The management team must consist of at least one full-time University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student. Non-students may be members of the management team and participate in planning the venture; but only full-time students may present at competition events.