Since 1989, the University of Montana College of Business has hosted the annual John Ruffatto Startup Challenge, the premier opportunity for Montana’s brightest and boldest students to present exciting new entrepreneurial ideas for adjudication. In its formative years, the competition would not have been possible without the efforts and contributions of the Montana Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs (MADE), a group composed of Montana’s finest entrepreneurs and business professionals. Although MADE is no longer a formal organization, the Montana business community continues to foster the spirit of innovation through generous support of the UM College of Business and its business startup challenge.

Occurring every spring, the Startup Challenge is open to students attending select colleges or universities in Montana. From new products and inventions to social entrepreneurship ventures, the challenge invites all ideas for submission.

With the dedicated leadership of the College of Business and running the event, teams will be selected and invited to compete in the annual event. Invited teams will compete for $50,000 in awards while also having the opportunity to network with venture capitalists, early stage investors, investment bankers, economic developers, corporate executives, and successful entrepreneurs. Teams will also have the unique opportunity to present to over 250 business professionals and community leaders who will be attending the Final Round presentations.

Competition Date: April 26, 2024

Check the Competition Day page to view a sample schedule of the Competition Day.

Information on how to attend the live public finals will be made available leading up to the event.

If you have a business idea and are interested in competing, please contact Erik Guzik (erik.guzik@umontana.edu). 

Submission Deadline: Friday, March 22, 2024, 11:59 p.m.

Please review the Submission Requirements and Deadlines page to obtain important dates, eligibility criteria, and submission requirements.

Join A Team!

Love entrepreneurship, but not ready to launch an idea? We have a list of competitors looking for people like you to dig in prior to the competition and possibly pitch at the competition. Get a front-row seat to starting up and get some prize money while you do! Email erik.guzik@umontana.edu with the subject line "I Want to Join a JRSC Team!" Include your name, major, contact information, and a small list of strengths.

Further Competition Details:

The 2024 competition finals will be open to the public from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. on Friday, April 26. Those in attendance will have a chance to vote for the winner of the People's Choice Award. Details on purchasing tickets for the event will be made available soon.

Lodging & Travel Fee Coverage

Significant effort is made to subsidize student travel to Missoula from other Montana areas through scholarships that cover transportation and lodging. Teams can expect to have up to two hotel rooms provided for two nights. To arrange contact erik.guzik@mso.umt.edu.

Statement of Non-Confidentiality

All sessions of the competition are open to the public at large.  Any and all of these sessions may be broadcast to interested persons through media which may include but is not limited to radio, television, and the Internet. In fact, attendance by media personnel is expected and encouraged. Any data or information discussed or divulged in public sessions by competitors should be considered information that could enter the public domain and competitors should not assume any right of confidentiality of any data or information discussed, divulged, or presented in these sessions.

Due to the nature of the competition, we do not ask judges, reviewers, staff, or the audience to agree to or sign non-disclosure statements. However, the John Ruffatto Startup Challenge staff will make every effort to limit distribution of the written submissions to judges of the competition.