Stu Clark New Venture Championships

Dates

April 18 - 20, 2024

Location

We are pleased to announce that the Stu Clark New Venture Championships will be held at the Fort Garry Hotel, 222 Broadway, Winnipeg, Manitoba. This venue is a mix of contemporary style, Old World elegance and is a well-equipped venue offering a range of facilities to make your competition experience comfortable and productive. With its central location, getting to and from the venue is easy and convenient, with a variety of transport options.

Complimentary hotel rooms will be provided for all competing teams and their advisor if applicable. This does not include teams that are residents of Manitoba. 

We look forward to welcoming you to Winnipeg for what promises to be a truly memorable event.

What You Can Expect

Join us in Winnipeg for an exhilarating 3 days for this high-energy competition focused on entrepreneurship and innovation. Teams will compete with both their business plans and video pitches for over $60, 000 in cash prizes! 

This competition has both undergrad and graduate level tracks which allows participants  to connect with other entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders from the industry!

Over 45 of Winnipeg’s industry experts and veteran judges including Stu Clark, will provide valuable feedback that will help take your venture’s next step towards success.

Download the March 9-11, 2023 SCNVC Schedule

Download the full event program

Presenting Team - Graduate Student Eligibility

• This competition is for full time or part time graduate level students enrolled in the current academic year.
• Teams are allowed to have 1 - 5 students. (Individual entries are allowed)
• Students from all graduate programs (not just MBA's) and PhD's are eligible to participate.
• Each team MUST have the endorsement of a faculty or staff advisor at their school and must provide contact information for the advisor regardless of whether the advisor will participate with the team at the NVC.
• Applications to the NVC must be accepted by the team's faculty advisor. The faculty advisor must on behalf of the sponsoring university, attest to the eligibility of the team, their adherence to the rules and guidelines, and acknowledge potential penalties for violations and infractions. 
• Undergraduate students are permitted to compete on the team as long as the majority of students are at the graduate level. 
• In the scenario where a team consists of individuals from various universities, it is necessary to select the name of a single university to apply and present with. 
• Students are not allowed to compete at the NVC in multiple academic years using the same idea. 

Presenting Team - Undergraduate Student Eligibility

• This competition is for full time or part time undergraduate level students enrolled in the current academic year.
• Teams are allowed to have 1 - 5 students. (Individual entries are allowed)
• Students from all undergraduate programs are eligible to participate.
• Each team MUST have the endorsement of a faculty or staff advisor at their school and must provide contact information for the advisor regardless of whether the advisor will participate with the team at the NVC.
• Applications to the NVC must be accepted by the team's faculty advisor. The faculty advisor must on behalf of the sponsoring university, attest to the eligibility of the team, their adherence to the rules and guidelines, and acknowledge potential penalties for violations and infractions. 
• In the scenario where a team consists of individuals from various universities, it is necessary to select the name of a single university to apply and present with. 
• Students are not allowed to compete at the NVC in multiple academic years using the same idea. 

General Notices

• Each team is required to adhered to the rules and guidelines  of the NVC.
• Unique circumstances regarding applications to the competition will be adjudicated by the Competition Director.
• This page sets out guidelines to capture these goals and not every circumstance can be anticipated. The Competition Director reserves the right to disqualify or penalize any team that violates the rules, regulations or the spirit of the competition. 
• Ventures cannot be buy-outs, expansions of existing companies, roll-ups, real estate syndications, tax shelters, franchise-based outlets, licensing agreements for distribution in a different geographical area and spin-outs from existing corporations.
• Licensing technologies from universities or research labs is encouraged assuming there has been no previous commercialization.

Steps

1. Fill out the online application 
2. Create a 1-2 page executive summary
3. Submit application form by February 20, 2024 (11:59 PM CT)

Application requirements

Executive summaries should include:

• an outline of the magnitude of the problem
• an outline of the solution
• market validation
• financial projections
• scalability

Executive summaries should be:

• 1 - 2 pages in length
• PDF format
• 1.5 spacing with 12 point font

• Baylor New Venture Competition
• Rice Business Plan Competition
• SCG Bangkok Business Challenge
• Heartland Challenge Startup Competition
• Ivey Business Plan Competition
• The BMO Apex Startup Challenge