HEARTLAND CHALLENGE STARTUP COMPETITION
The Heartland Challenge is designed to simulate the process of raising venture capital for a high-growth venture. This graduate student competition allows students to gain valuable experience and networking opportunities, while developing new ventures that may be based on their own ideas/technologies or those developed by others.
COMPETITION PRIZES & RESULTS:
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Main Competition |
Elevator Pitch Competition |
|---|---|
|
1st Place - $50,000 Telo, University of Minnesota 2nd Place - $25,000 RHM Innovations, University of Rochester 3rd Place - $10,000 Thryft Ship, University of Georgia 4th Place - $5,000 ProPika, University of Arkansas 5th Place - $1,000 CurveAssure, Johns Hopkins University |
1st Place - $3,000 ProPika, University of Arkansas 2nd Place - $2,000 CurveAssure, Johns Hopkins University |
|
Startup Expo |
Investor Roundtable |
Special Awards |
|---|---|---|
|
1st Place - $5,000 ProPika, University of Arkansas |
Cadron Capital - $3,000 YieldEASE, Johns Hopkins University SymBiosis - $3,000 RHM Innovations, University of Rochester UA Master's in Finance - $3,000 Hipond, Tufts University |
Delta Solar Innovation Award - $3,000 CurveAssure, Johns Hopkins University |
Watch the Final Round
SPONSORSHIP
For more information about sponsorships, contact Deb Williams (dswillia@uark.edu).
2024 Heartland Challenge Sponsorship Opportunities
COMPETITION INFORMATION
Purpose
The Heartland Challenge is designed to mimic the real-world process of raising capital for a high-growth venture. The competition allows students to gain valuable experience and networking opportunities, while developing and building new ventures and technologies or those developed by others. The spirit of the competition is to allow only ventures conceived and developed during the graduate school experience to participate. Competition directors and faculty advisers are responsible for ensuring and attesting that their teams meet these requirements. The teams are also responsible for ensuring their own eligibility.
Eligibility
The competition is for student-created, managed, and owned ventures. Students must play a major role in conceiving the venture by having key management roles and owning significant equity in the venture (50 percent or more of the equity allocated to the management team and key advisers). The objective of this rule is to exclude ventures formed and managed by non-students who have token student representation to compete. Read the official competition rules and policies HERE.
Team Composition
This is a competition for graduate students, however exceptional undergraduate teams will be considered. Students from any graduate program (not just MBAs) are eligible to participate, including executive and evening format programs. Non-students may be members of the venture's management team and may participate in planning the venture. However, only students may participate in the competition.
The competition is overseen by the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.
To sign up for updates on competition rules and requirements, please email Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program Manager of Competitions, Maddy Stricklen, at startup@uark.edu.
Read the official competition rules and policies HERE.
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2023 COMPETITION RECAP