
Entrepreneurship Competitions
Students from all academic departments can participate in entrepreneurship competitions and have access to events, workshops, mentoring that enable them to test and refine their founder skills.
Join an Entrepreneurship competition
Let Us Shine the Spotlight on You!
Have you been a finalist at an external competition? Get in touch with us so we can give your startup a shoutout on social media or on our website!
Share your story
Joining a startup pitch competition is an investment for your startup. It gives you a platform where you can pitch your startup in front of fellow students and judges to help you raise the funding needed to launch and scale your startup. We encourage every student to throw their hat in the ring and get some experience pitching their venture – you never know what you’ll end up walking away with!

eGames
Applications are now ppen for NC State’s Annual Startup Competition awarding over $100,000 of startup money to student and faculty entrepreneurs.
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Make-A-Thon
Our first competition in the spring semester! Students compete in teams to create the best solution to a sustainability challenge. All weekend long, we will provide the food and expert mentors to fuel your creativity. On the final day, you will pitch your prototype to judges from the community and local companies. Prizes include: $2,000 to the winning team, $1,000 to the runner up team and $500 to the third place team.
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Minute to Pitch It at Entrepalooza
Students have one minute to convince the audience their idea is worthy of the $1,000 audience choice award!
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Wolf Den at Global Entrepreneurship Week
Join innovators from NC State and beyond for this Shark Tank-inspired event giving students the opportunity to pitch their business concept for live judges and a live audience during GEW.
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ACC Inventure Prize Competition
Every year, each Atlantic Coast Conference university finds their very best students to represent them and compete against other ACC schools. Reach out to us if you’re interested in representing NC State!
Learn MoreExternal Competitions Open to NC State Students
Below is a list of external entrepreneurship competitions available to NC State students that offer cash prizes and bragging rights! We encourage our student entrepreneurs to discover and participate in external competitions and don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need any mentorship, resources, or anything else – we’re committed to your success and are here to help!
Venture Capital Investment Competition
Calling all startups raising a Series A or later seed round: Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) is an “accelerator for the fundraising process.” Three startups will be chosen as finalists for each region. This is a great opportunity for student startups that need practice pitching to potential investors and will prepare you for a real Series A funding round! This has a rolling deadline.