Applications are now being accepted for the 10th Annual J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge, the business plan/pitch competition where LSU students vie for some $25,000 in startup capital.
A panel of members in LSU’s “entrepreneurial network” will judge the submitted plans and from those the top three will advance to a final round. The last round of the Venture Challenge will be a pitch night, where the students will tout their businesses to judges and an audience. After the pitch, competitors will remain on stage to answer questions from local business professionals and investors.
The judges will determine how to divide $25,000 startup capital prize money among the three finalists based on their pitches, with the maximum amount per team set at $15,000. The minimum a team will go home with is $1,000.
LSU’s Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute assists pitchers to ensure that all teams are well prepared for their pitches.
Last year, Revibe, a music streaming and sharing application, won the 2019 Venture Challenge, along with a $12,000 award. In February, the company launched its beta app and plans a launch party next week at the Varsity Theatre.
Applications and business plans for this year’s competition are due by April 15, and finalists will be announced the following week. The J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge will be April 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the LSU Business Education Complex.
