Submit Your Startup Idea!

We use Submittable to allow students to craft and submit their startup ideas.  Click here to begin your application: 2024 Startup Submission Form

Weekly Wednesday Workshops Starting January 24th

Come take part in weekly workshops, held in the Innovation Factory (2nd floor of the UC) every Wednesday from 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Workshops start Wednesday, January 24th and are offered through Wednesday March 13th.

These workshops allow students to ask any questions, receive help with submissions, work on any component of the application and learn more about entrepreneurial ventures.

Submission Guidelines for New Applicants

Information and deadlines for the April 26, 2024 event. Please check this page for future updates.

Link to Submission Application

Submit Your Application

Submissions are due no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 22, 2024.
Review below requirements prior to applying.

Eligibility

To compete in the Startup Challenge, you must have at least one person on your business team who meets all of the following criteria. ONLY PERSONS MEETING THESE CRITERIA ARE PERMITTED TO PRESENT IN THE COMPETITION AND Q&A. Individuals who do not fit the eligibility criteria are welcome to participate in planning the venture as well as travel to Missoula and attend the event and cheer on their team.

Ventures that have already received more than $50k in angel or VC funding (not friends and family) are not eligible to compete.

The teammate who presents must:

• Be a full or part-time undergraduate or graduate level student.
• Have been enrolled in one of the select colleges or universities located in the state of Montana sometime during the current academic year.

Submission Requirements

Submissions must be:

• Original work of the students on the team.
• New ventures, “not for profits,” social entrepreneurship organizations, or existing firms with new and/or expansion opportunities. Ventures built around private sector licensing of existing commercially viable technologies from universities or research labs are encouraged.
• Ventures which have previously competed in the Startup Challenge (does not include the Fall Startup Pitch Competition) may compete again if they did not reach the final four or win an award in prior years. It is anticipated that such ventures would have made significant progress with their startup between competition years.
• For UM teams, you should notify Erik Guzik of your intent to compete (erik.guzik@umontana.edu). We strongly recommend scheduling a meeting to seek guidance and advice on your entry prior to submission.
• For non-UM teams, we encourage you to seek the support of a faculty advisor from your institution. We will require you to submit the name and contact details of faculty advisor from your institution when you submit your entry.

If you experience a technical issue while submitting, please contact Erik Guzik, erik.guzik@umontana.edu.

How To Win

1. Contact Erik Guzik!!
2. Work on launching your business (not winning the competition)
3. External validation: customers, suppliers
4. Tangible progress: customers (or commitments/waiting list), products, designs/prototypes, websites, social media engagement
5. Tell a story
6. Keep it simple, concise and avoid jargon
7. Develop your written submission and pitch deck EARLY and ITERATE
8. Practice your elevator pitch early and often (DON'T LEARN A SCRIPT)
9. Practice your pitch (deck) delivery EARLY AND OFTEN
   1. Recommended deck outline: https://guykawasaki.com/the-only-10-slides-you-need-in-your-pitch/
   2. Pitch deck tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M13SObffog
10. Anticipate questions and in some instances tee them up and have supporting slides ready