Teams from 15 of the top universities in the world including Sasin from Thailand, Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins and Michigan from the US, are coming to Winnipeg tomorrow to take part in the Sixth Annual Stuart Clark Venture Challenge.

This competition is part of the prestigious MOOT Corp. system and is one of only 24 such competitions in the world.  It is also the only international graduate level competition held in Canada.

The schools will be showcasing new technology developed by the students or created at their respective universities to panels of potential investors.  The investors are drawn from locations across North America as well as representatives from the Winnipeg Angel Organization and Growthworks.

This year’s competition has a heavy emphasis on the life sciences with seven of the teams proposing ventures in this area.  These ventures range from a therapeutic for mouth ulcers (Sasin) to a real-time, non-invasive monitoring tool for diabetics (Kennesaw State).  The University of Manitoba team is showcasing a non-invasive screening tool for colo-rectal cancer that was developed at the NRC’s Institute for Biodiagnostics, and it has over a million dollars already invested into it.

The teams are vying for over $80,000 in cash and prizes.  The winning team will receive $15,000 in cash, personalized Manitoba Moose hockey jerseys, an automatic berth to the Global MOOT Corp. Competition in Austin, Texas and will close the NASDAQ exchange on August 20^th.    They will also join an elite group of past winners that have gone on to raise over $10 million in private equity and start businesses in such diverse fields as environmental protection, therapeutics for brain cancer and building control systems.

The Stuart Clark Venture Challenge consists of three days of competition that includes elevator pitches by the teams, a tradeshow and formal pitches to the investors.  All of these events are open to the public.

Schedule of Events – All events take place at the Fort Garry Hotel, 222 Broadway Ave., Winnipeg

Thursday, March 25 – Associates Opening Reception (Crystal Ballroom)
Mondetta Clothing Tradeshow Competition – 6:00 PM
WOW! Hospitality Elevator Pitch – 7:00 PM

Friday, March 26 – Opening and Wild Card Rounds (Mezzanine Level)
Opening Round – 8:30 am
Wild Card Round – 2:30 pm
Finalists Announced – 6:00 pm (Results available on Twitter)

Saturday, March 27 (The Club Room)
Championship Round – 1:30 PM
Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade Awards Reception – 6:00 PM

For more information or to meet with the teams, please contact Robert Warren, Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship, at 204-292-8092.  You can also follow it on Twitter @stuclarkcentre and Facebook – Stu Clark Centre.