Big Idea Competition

 
Overview
Student Pitch Track
Alumni Pitch Track
Research Commercialization Pitch Track
Important Dates
Past Winners
Sponsors
Photos
Contact

OVERVIEW

The Big Idea Competition (BIC) at The University of Texas at Dallas is one of the most celebrated nights of entrepreneurship in North Texas and recognizes the entrepreneurial progress of UT Dallas students, faculty, and alumni. Hosted annually by the UT Dallas Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the 2020 BIC will be held as a marquee virtual event during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November. The BIC brings the best undergraduate and graduate students together from all disciplines, alongside top research faculty and alumni to pitch the most innovative startups and ideas in front of their peers and a panel of esteemed judges for cash and scholarship awards.

The 2020 competition will be held as a virtual event during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November.

Program highlights include:

  • Over 1,000 attendees each year
  • $100,000+ in prize money and scholarships
  • Past winners have gone on to win other state or national competitions and formed companies that have raised venture capital, generated revenue, and created jobs

Past Big Idea Competition Celebrity Judges have included:

Courtney Caldwell

CoFounder & COO of ShearShare

Mark Cuban

Owner of the Dallas Mavericks
Shark on “Shark Tank”

Tan France

Style Guru on Emmy Award-Winning Netflix Series “Queer Eye”

Guy Kawaski

Venture Capitalist
Best-Selling Author
Former Apple Executive

Bob Metcalfe

Co-Inventor of Ethernet

Shiza Shahid

Co-Founder and CEO of the Malala Fund
Founder of NOW Ventures

STUDENT PITCH TRACK

ELIGIBILITY

  • Currently enrolled UT Dallas students, any major, any classification who are the founders or co-founders of the startup are eligible to apply
  • A currently enrolled UT Dallas student from the startup team must be the one to pitch throughout the process

APPLICATION

  • Applications close September 20, 2020
  • Teams selected for semi-finals will be notified by September 25, 2020
  • Semi-finals will take place on October 8, 2020
  • Finals will take place on November, 2020 (Exact dates will be announced)

Please save the date. Your team will be required to pitch live on a virtual meeting with the semi-finals judges. Three teams will be selected to participate in the Big Idea Competition finals and will be notified immediately following the semifinals event.
Preview the application here

Do not click the link until you are ready to apply
Apply here

FUNDING GUIDELINES

Find the funding guidelines here

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Big Idea Competition (BIC) is a business idea pitch competition.Students, staff, faculty and alumni have an opportunity to compete in different categories to win funding for their business ventures.
The BIC takes place every fall semester, typically in November.
The BIC is usually held in the ATEC Lecture Hall on the UT Dallas campus.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 BIC will be virtual.
No.
There is no “entry fee” or any other cost associated with participating.
Yes, you can enter by yourself or with a team. It is up to you!
Yes, however, only complete applications will be reviewed, so be sure each individual application is complete.
Each track has different eligibility requirements, please review the specific track tab for details. All tracks do require at least one person on the team to be affiliated with UT Dallas.
You will be asked for your contact information and several questions about your idea. You will also be required to submit a pitch video and a pitch deck. You can preview the application here
Yes, just as long as each individual application is complete.
Each track will have 1 Grand Prize winner that will receive a significant cash award.
Exact prize dollar amounts will be announced soon.
UT Dallas is a state government institution and there are several steps required to process and approve an award. Typically, the process will take 3-6 months to complete after the competition.
Yes!
The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is here to help all throughout the process. We can review your materials before submission, schedule appointments with mentors, schedule practice pitch sessions, and more. Just let us know how we can help you.
For the student track and research commercialization tracks, applications are due September 20, 2020. For the alumni track, applications are due October 4, 2020
A committee of staff and faculty will review the student track applications using a rubric to score them. The 30 applications with the highest scores overall will be selected to compete in the semifinals. The semifinals will take place on October 8 through live video conference. Each team will pitch in front of a panel of judges. The judges will use the same rubric used to score the applications. The top 3 semifinalists with the highest scores will move on to compete in the student track at the finals. For the alumni and research commercialization tracks, the seed fund committee will complete due diligence on all applications. After the applications close, the seed fund committee will select the top 3 alumni applicants and the top 3 research applicants to pitch in their respective tracks at the finals. The finalists will pitch to a panel of esteemed judges. The judges will use a rubric to score the pitches and select the winners of each track.
Yes, funds must be used to advance the business venture.
Please see the funding guidelines here
There is a significant cost for the entrepreneurial programs, resources, and support provided by the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship each year, at no charge, free to you — our students and the UTD community. We do this because we believe it will lead to significant economic value, as your venture is able to generate revenues and hire employees. But, in order to continue offering these programs, the “cost” to you is the data about your startup’s progress instead of a financial cost. By providing information about your venture, you help us communicate and demonstrate the impact we are making to our stakeholders. Some of the key factors we need to measure include job creation and revenue.
If you are a student, then the short answer is no – please see Section 6 in the link below for more details. If you are a faculty member, researcher, or are employed by the university, there may be some intellectual property rights to consider.
More information here: https://cms.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/rules/90101-intellectual-property.
Please contact Dresden Goldberg if you are unsure: dresden.goldberg@utdallas.edu
Yes, but each team must have one person affiliated with UT Dallas. Please review the eligibility requirements under each track tab for details.
No, the team does not have to be all students, but your team must meet the eligibility requirements for the specific track.
You do not have to have a fully developed product at the time of the application or competition, an idea is fine. Be aware that the farther along you are, or the more fully you have developed the idea, the more it will help you in the scoring process.
The BIC finals are open to the public to attend. Registration information will be shared as we get closer to the date in November.

RESEARCH COMMERCIALIZATION PITCH TRACK

ELIGIBILITY

  • Qualifying ventures are required to have been formed within 3 years from the date of application, including ventures where the legal entity has not yet been formed
  • They have raised less than $1,000,000 in private investment (There are no restrictions on grant funding received).
  • The founders plan to seek additional funding in the future, with an expectation that the venture may be a viable investment opportunity for angel investors, venture capitalists, and other risk capital investors
  • Any UT Dallas faculty, staff, student, or alumnus desiring to commercialize their research by forming a new business venture
  • The research-based startup must have a current UT Dallas faculty, staff, or student serving as the founder, co-founder, senior executive, or major shareholder on the team
  • Past Business or Big Idea Competition (BIC) award and prize winners are ineligible to compete for this category

APPLICATION

The application requires various information about your startup idea. Please complete as much as possible.

  • Applications close September 20, 2020
  • Three teams will be selected to participate in the Big Idea Competition finals and will be notified by October 16, 2020
  • Finals will take place on November, 2020 (Exact dates will be announced)

Your application will be reviewed by the Seed Fund team.
Preview the application here

Do not click the link until you are ready to apply
Apply here

FUNDING GUIDELINES

Find the funding guidelines here

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When UT Dallas published its current Strategic Plan in 2018 , the Office of Research initiated new programs to support commercialization and entrepreneurship. Theme Six of the Strategic Plan –“Become an Economic Engine for the Region” –challenges UT Dallas to help drive economic development for North Texas through technology transfer to industry, venture creation, and fostering the entrepreneurial mindset.Through programs like this one, the Office of Research seeks to educate, equip, and empower students, faculty, and alumni to commercialize UT Dallas research discoveries and launch businesses.
The final amount of the award will be determined before September and will depend on contributions by sponsoring departments and organizations. But it is expected to be in the range of 6 figures or more, in combined cash and in-kind value.
Any UT Dallas faculty, staff, student, or alumnus desiring to commercialize their research or intellectual property in a new for-profit venture.
  • Qualifying ventures are required to have been formed within 3 years from the date of application, including ventures where the legal entity has not yet been formed
  • They have raised less than $1,000,000 in private investment (There are no restrictions on grant funding received)
  • The founders plan to seek additional funding in the future, with an expectation that the venture may be a viable investment opportunity for angel investors, venture capitalists, and other risk capital investors
Within a short time (1-2 weeks) of completing the application, you should expect to be contacted by a student or staff member from the UT Dallas Seed Fund assigned to discuss your application. Students and staff who participate in a unique UT Dallas academic program, the UT Dallas Seed Fund will be leading the application due diligence efforts to select the finalists for the award.
If the technology is based on UT Dallas-protected intellectual property, then you may participate in the award competition.
In addition to evaluating applications and any due diligence performed by the UT Dallas Venture Associates, a panel of experts from among university academic and research leadership, with input from the UT Dallas Industry Advisory Board, will select the finalists.
Three finalists will be announced by the first week October. Finalists are expected to present their new venture and business opportunity at the 2020 Big Idea Competition in November for a chance to win a meaningful award to support the launch and growth of the new venture.
A panel of notable civic, business, and community leaders, with credentials in innovation and entrepreneurship, will judge the finalists and select the award recipient.
The selected winner will received funding as soon as they have met the requirements for funding but in any case, funding for approved expenses will be provided in the weeks/months following the announcement of the winner. Please refer to the funding guidelines for more information.

Sponsors

Become a sponsor

Presenting Sponsor of the 2020 Big Idea Competition and Research Commercialization Track sponsor: $50,000
One Opportunity Available, Benefits Include:
  • A 1:1 Match by the Office of Research up to $50,000
  • Your company name branded on the grand prize award of $100,000
  • Opportunity to give virtual live remarks during the event
  • Opportunity to introduce celebrity guest speaker
  • Opportunity to interview celebrity guest speaker in live virtual fireside chat format
  • Opportunity for company representative to serve as a judge during finals
  • Exclusive sponsor of the Research Commercialization Track Award with opportunity to announce winner
  • Opportunity for 4 company representatives to attend virtual happy hour with celebrity
  • Option for company representative to serve as a judge during semi-finals
  • Recognition as “Presenting Sponsor” on all event marketing and promotional collateral
Fall 2020 UT Dallas Seed Fund Sponsor and Alumni Ventures Track: $25,000
One Opportunity Available, Benefits Include:
  • Branded prize to Best Alumni Venture of $25,000
  • Opportunity to give virtual live remarks during the event
  • Recognized as exclusive Track Award sponsor with opportunity to announce winner
  • Opportunity for company representative to serve as a judge during finals
  • Opportunity for 2 company representatives to attend virtual happy hour with celebrity
  • Option for company representative to serve as a judge during semi-finals
  • Recognition as “Premier Sponsor” on all event marketing and promotional collateral
Premier Sponsor of the Student Ventures track: $25,000
One Opportunity Available, Benefits Include:
  • Branded prize to Best Student Venture of $25,000
  • Opportunity to give virtual live remarks during the event
  • Recognized as exclusive Track Award sponsor with opportunity to announce winner
  • Opportunity for company representative to serve as a judge during finals
  • Opportunity for 2 company representatives to attend virtual happy hour with celebrity
  • Option for company representative to serve as a judge during semi-finals
  • Recognition as “Premier Sponsor” on all event marketing and promotional collateral
Silver Sponsor: $10,000
Three Opportunities Available, Benefits Include:
  • Opportunity for 1 company representative to attend virtual happy hour with celebrity
  • Option for company representative to serve as a judge during semi-finals
  • Recognition as “Silver Sponsor” on all event marketing and promotional collateral

Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Please contact dresden.goldberg@utdallas.edu

OVERVIEW

The Big Idea Competition (BIC) at The University of Texas at Dallas is one of the most celebrated nights of entrepreneurship in North Texas and recognizes the entrepreneurial progress of UT Dallas students, faculty, and alumni. Hosted annually by the UT Dallas Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the 2020 BIC will be held as a marquee virtual event during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November. The BIC brings the best undergraduate and graduate students together from all disciplines, alongside top research faculty and alumni to pitch the most innovative startups and ideas in front of their peers and a panel of esteemed judges for cash and scholarship awards.

The 2020 competition will be held as a virtual event during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November.

Program highlights include:

  • Over 1,000 attendees each year
  • $100,000+ in prize money and scholarships
  • Past winners have gone on to win other state or national competitions and formed companies that have raised venture capital, generated revenue, and created jobs

Past Big Idea Competition Celebrity Judges have included:

Courtney Caldwell

CoFounder & COO of ShearShare

Mark Cuban

Owner of the Dallas Mavericks
Shark on “Shark Tank”

Tan France

Style Guru on Emmy Award-Winning Netflix Series “Queer Eye”

Guy Kawaski

Venture Capitalist
Best-Selling Author
Former Apple Executive

Bob Metcalfe

Co-Inventor of Ethernet

Shiza Shahid

Co-Founder and CEO of the Malala Fund
Founder of NOW Ventures

ALUMNI PITCH TRACK

ELIGIBILITY

  • The startup team must have a UT Dallas alumni serving as the founder, co-founder, C-suite leader, or primary shareholder
  • Only those who have officially graduated from a degree-awarding program will be considered (taking classes but without graduation, certificate programs, extracurricular programs will not be considered)
  • Startup has not raised more than $1,000,000 in equity capital prior to September 20, 2020
  • Startup has not earned more than $500,000 in annual revenue prior to September 20, 2020
  • Startup was founded within the past three years (September 2017- September 2020)
  • Startup is seeking funding and is a potentially viable investment opportunity that would be considered by angel investors or venture capitalists
  • The UT Dallas alumni from the startup team must be the one to pitch throughout the process
  • Past Big Idea Competition award and prize winners are not eligible to compete again


APPLICATION

The application requires various information about your startup idea. Please complete as much as possible.

  • Applications close October 4, 2020
  • Three teams will be selected to participate in the Big Idea Competition finals and will be notified by October 16, 2020
  • Finals will take place on November, 2020 (Exact dates will be announced)

Your application will be reviews by the seed fund team
Preview the application here

Do not click the link until you are ready to apply
Apply here

FUNDING GUIDELINES

Find the funding guidelines here

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Big Idea Competition (BIC) is a business idea pitch competition.Students, staff, faculty and alumni have an opportunity to compete in different categories to win funding for their business ventures.
The BIC takes place every fall semester, typically in November.
The BIC is usually held in the ATEC Lecture Hall on the UT Dallas campus.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 BIC will be virtual.
No.
There is no “entry fee” or any other cost associated with participating.
Yes, you can enter by yourself or with a team. It is up to you!
Yes, however, only complete applications will be reviewed, so be sure each individual application is complete.
Each track has different eligibility requirements, please review the specific track tab for details. All tracks do require at least one person on the team to be affiliated with UT Dallas.
You will be asked for your contact information and several questions about your idea. You will also be required to submit a pitch video and a pitch deck. You can preview the application here: TBA
Yes, just as long as each individual application is complete.
Each track will have 1 Grand Prize winner that will receive a significant cash award.
Exact prize dollar amounts will be announced soon.
UT Dallas is a state government institution and there are several steps required to process and approve an award. Typically, the process will take 3-6 months to complete after the competition.
Yes!
The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is here to help all throughout the process. We can review your materials before submission, schedule appointments with mentors, schedule practice pitch sessions, and more. Just let us know how we can help you.
For the student track and research commercialization tracks, applications are due September 20, 2020. For the alumni track, applications are due October 4, 2020
A committee of staff and faculty will review the student track applications using a rubric to score them. The 30 applications with the highest scores overall will be selected to compete in the semifinals. The semifinals will take place on October 8 through live video conference. Each team will pitch in front of a panel of judges. The judges will use the same rubric used to score the applications. The top 3 semifinalists with the highest scores will move on to compete in the student track at the finals. For the alumni and research commercialization tracks, the seed fund committee will complete due diligence on all applications. After the applications close, the seed fund committee will select the top 3 alumni applicants and the top 3 research applicants to pitch in their respective tracks at the finals. The finalists will pitch to a panel of esteemed judges. The judges will use a rubric to score the pitches and select the winners of each track.
Yes, funds must be used to advance the business venture.
Please see the funding guidelines here
There is a significant cost for the entrepreneurial programs, resources, and support provided by the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship each year, at no charge, free to you — our students and the UTD community. We do this because we believe it will lead to significant economic value, as your venture is able to generate revenues and hire employees. But, in order to continue offering these programs, the “cost” to you is the data about your startup’s progress instead of a financial cost. By providing information about your venture, you help us communicate and demonstrate the impact we are making to our stakeholders. Some of the key factors we need to measure include job creation and revenue.
If you are a student, then the short answer is no – please see Section 6 in the link below for more details. If you are a faculty member, researcher, or are employed by the university, there may be some intellectual property rights to consider.
More information here: https://cms.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/rules/90101-intellectual-property.
Please contact Dresden Goldberg if you are unsure: dresden.goldberg@utdallas.edu
Yes, but each team must have one person affiliated with UT Dallas. Please review the eligibility requirements under each track tab for details.
No, the team does not have to be all students, but your team must meet the eligibility requirements for the specific track.
You do not have to have a fully developed product at the time of the application or competition, an idea is fine. Be aware that the farther along you are, or the more fully you have developed the idea, the more it will help you in the scoring process.
The BIC finals are open to the public to attend. Registration information will be shared as we get closer to the date in November.

Sponsors

Become a sponsor

Presenting Sponsor of the 2020 Big Idea Competition and Research Commercialization Track sponsor: $50,000
One Opportunity Available, Benefits Include:
  • A 1:1 Match by the Office of Research up to $50,000
  • Your company name branded on the grand prize award of $100,000
  • Opportunity to give virtual live remarks during the event
  • Opportunity to introduce celebrity guest speaker
  • Opportunity to interview celebrity guest speaker in live virtual fireside chat format
  • Opportunity for company representative to serve as a judge during finals
  • Exclusive sponsor of the Research Commercialization Track Award with opportunity to announce winner
  • Opportunity for 4 company representatives to attend virtual happy hour with celebrity
  • Option for company representative to serve as a judge during semi-finals
  • Recognition as “Presenting Sponsor” on all event marketing and promotional collateral
Fall 2020 UT Dallas Seed Fund Sponsor and Alumni Ventures Track: $25,000
One Opportunity Available, Benefits Include:
  • Branded prize to Best Alumni Venture of $25,000
  • Opportunity to give virtual live remarks during the event
  • Recognized as exclusive Track Award sponsor with opportunity to announce winner
  • Opportunity for company representative to serve as a judge during finals
  • Opportunity for 2 company representatives to attend virtual happy hour with celebrity
  • Option for company representative to serve as a judge during semi-finals
  • Recognition as “Premier Sponsor” on all event marketing and promotional collateral
Premier Sponsor of the Student Ventures track: $25,000
One Opportunity Available, Benefits Include:
  • Branded prize to Best Student Venture of $25,000
  • Opportunity to give virtual live remarks during the event
  • Recognized as exclusive Track Award sponsor with opportunity to announce winner
  • Opportunity for company representative to serve as a judge during finals
  • Opportunity for 2 company representatives to attend virtual happy hour with celebrity
  • Option for company representative to serve as a judge during semi-finals
  • Recognition as “Premier Sponsor” on all event marketing and promotional collateral
Silver Sponsor: $10,000
Three Opportunities Available, Benefits Include:
  • Opportunity for 1 company representative to attend virtual happy hour with celebrity
  • Option for company representative to serve as a judge during semi-finals
  • Recognition as “Silver Sponsor” on all event marketing and promotional collateral

Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Please contact dresden.goldberg@utdallas.edu

OVERVIEW

The Big Idea Competition (BIC) at The University of Texas at Dallas is one of the most celebrated nights of entrepreneurship in North Texas and recognizes the entrepreneurial progress of UT Dallas students, faculty, and alumni. Hosted annually by the UT Dallas Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the 2020 BIC will be held as a marquee virtual event during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November. The BIC brings the best undergraduate and graduate students together from all disciplines, alongside top research faculty and alumni to pitch the most innovative startups and ideas in front of their peers and a panel of esteemed judges for cash and scholarship awards.

*The 2020 competition will be held as virtual event during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November.

Program highlights include:

  • Over 1,000 attendees each year
  • $100,000+ in prize money and scholarships
  • Past winners have gone on to win other state or national competitions and formed companies that have raised venture capital, generated revenue, and created jobs

Past Big Idea Competition Celebrity Judges have included:

  • Shiza Shahid, Co-Founder and CEO of the Malala Fund, Founder of NOW Ventures
  • Tan France, Style Guru on Emmy Award-Winning Netflix Series “Queer Eye”
  • Mark Cuban, Owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Shark on “Shark Tank”
  • Guy Kawasaki, Venture Capitalist, Best-Selling Author, Former Apple Executive
  • Bob Metcalfe, Co-Inventor of Ethernet

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Big Idea Competition (BIC) is a business idea pitch competition.Students, staff, faculty and alumni have an opportunity to compete in different categories to win funding for their business ventures.
The BIC takes place every fall semester, typically in November.
The BIC is usually held in the ATEC Lecture Hall on the UT Dallas campus.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 BIC will be virtual.
No.
There is no “entry fee” or any other cost associated with participating.
Yes, you can enter by yourself or with a team. It is up to you!
Yes, however, only complete applications will be reviewed, so be sure each individual application is complete.
Each track has different eligibility requirements, please review the “Application & Eligibility” tab for details. All tracks do require at least one person on the team to be affiliated with UT Dallas.
You will be asked for your contact information and several questions about your idea. You will also be required to submit a pitch video and a pitch deck. You can preview the application here: TBA
Yes, just as long as each individual application is complete.
Each track will have 1 Grand Prize winner that will receive a significant cash award.
Exact prize dollar amounts will be announced soon.
UT Dallas is a state government institution and there are several steps required to process and approve an award. Typically, the process will take 3-6 months to complete after the competition.
Yes!
The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is here to help all throughout the process. We can review your materials before submission, schedule appointments with mentors, schedule practice pitch sessions, and more. Just let us know how we can help you.
For the student track and research commercialization tracks, applications are due September 20, 2020. For the alumni track, applications are due October 4, 2020
After applications close, a committee of staff and faculty will review them using a rubric. The 30 applications with the highest scores overall will be selected to compete in the semifinals. The semifinals will take place on October 8 through live video conference. Each team will pitch in front of a panel of judges. The judges will use the same rubric used to score the applications. The top 3 semifinalists with the highest scores will move on to compete in the student track at the finals. For the alumni and research commercialization tracks, the seed fund committee will complete due diligence on all applications. After the applications close, the seed fund committee will select the top 3 alumni applicants and the top 3 research applicants to pitch in their respective tracks at the finals. The finalists will pitch to a panel of esteemed judges. The judges will use a rubric to score the pitches and select the winners of each track.
Yes, funds must be used to advance the business venture.
Please see the funding guidelines here
There is a significant cost for the entrepreneurial programs, resources, and support provided by the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship each year, at no charge, free to you — our students and the UTD community. We do this because we believe it will lead to significant economic value, as your venture is able to generate revenues and hire employees. But, in order to continue offering these programs, the “cost” to you is the data about your startup’s progress instead of a financial cost. By providing information about your venture, you help us communicate and demonstrate the impact we are making to our stakeholders. Some of the key factors we need to measure include job creation and revenue.
If you are a student, then the short answer is no – please see Section 6 in the link below for more details. If you are a faculty member, researcher, or are employed by the university, there may be some intellectual property rights to consider.
More information here: https://cms.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/rules/90101-intellectual-property.
Please contact Dresden Goldberg if you are unsure: dresden.goldberg@utdallas.edu
Yes, but each team must have one person affiliated with UT Dallas. Please review the application and eligibility tab for details.
No, the team does not have to be all students. Just make sure you meet the eligibility requirements detailed on the application and eligibility tab.
You do not have to have a fully developed product at the time of the competition, an idea is fine. Be aware that the farther along you are, or the more fully you have developed the idea, will help you in the scoring process.
The BIC finals are open to the public to attend. Registration information will be shared as we get closer to the date in November.

IMPORTANT DATES

Fall 2020

STUDENT PITCH TRACK

  • Applications Open

  • Applications Close

  • Semi-Finalists announced

  • Semi-Finals

  • Finalists announced

  • Finals

ALUMNI PITCH TRACK

  • Applications Open

  • Applications Close

  • Finalists announced

  • Finals

RESEARCH COMMERCIALIZATION PITCH TRACK

  • Applications Open

  • Applications Close

  • Finalists announced

  • Finals

APPLICATION AND ELIGIBILITY

Applications for the Fall 2020 competition will open on July 1, 2020.

Apply to pitch your innovative startup idea in front of your peers and a panel of esteemed judges for cash and scholarship awards. Don’t miss this chance to be part of one of the most celebrated nights of entrepreneurship in North Texas, recognizing the entrepreneurial progress of UT Dallas students, staff, faculty, and alumni.

The Fall 2020 competition offers three tracks:

  • Student Pitch Competition Track
  • Alumni Pitch Competition Track
  • Research Pitch Competition Track

Student Pitch Competition Awards

Eligibility

  • Currently enrolled UT Dallas students, any major, any classification who are the founders or co-founders of the startup are eligible to apply
  • A currently enrolled UT Dallas student from the startup team must be the one to pitch throughout the process

Application

The application requires various information about your startup idea. Please complete as much as possible. The application also requires a video and a pitch deck.

  • Applications close September 20, 2020.
  • Teams selected for semi-finals will be notified by September 25, 2020.
  • Semi-finals will take place on October 8, 2020.

Please save the date. Your team will be required to pitch live on a virtual meeting with the semi-finals judges. Three teams will be selected to participate in the Big Idea Competition finals and will be notified immediately following the semifinals event.

Preview the application link here

*Do not click the link until you are ready to apply*
Apply here

Alumni Pitch Competition Track

Eligibility

  • The startup team must have a UT Dallas alumni serving as the founder, co-founder, C-suite leader, or major shareholder
  • Only those who have officially graduated from a degree-awarding program will be considered (taking classes but without graduation, certificate programs, extracurricular programs will not be considered)
  • Startup has not raised more than $1,000,000 in equity capital prior to September 20, 2020
  • Startup has not earned more than $500,000 in annual revenue prior to September 20, 2020
  • Startup was founded within the past three years (September 2017- September 2020)
  • Startup is seeking funding and is a potentially viable investment opportunity that would be considered by angel investors or venture capitalists
  • The UT Dallas alumni from the startup team must be the one to pitch throughout the process
  • Past Big Idea Competition award and prize winners are not eligible to compete again

Application

The application requires various information about your startup idea. Please complete as much as possible. The application also requires a video and a pitch deck.

  • Applications close TBA.
  • Three teams will be selected to participate in the Big Idea Competition finals and will be notified by TBA.

Research Pitch Competition Track

Eligibility

  • Any UT Dallas student, staff, or faculty member who intends to commercialize their research by forming a new business venture
  • The research startup must have a UT Dallas student, staff, faculty, or alumni serving as the founder, co-founder, C-suite leader, or major shareholder on the team
  • Startup has not raised more than $1,000,000 in equity capital prior to September 20, 2020
  • Startup has not earned more than $1,000,000 in annual revenue prior to September 20, 2020
  • Startup is seeking funding and is a potentially viable investment opportunity that would be considered by angel investors or venture capitalists
  • The UT Dallas affiliated team member from the startup team must be the one to pitch throughout the process
  • Past Big Idea Competition award and prize winners are not eligible to compete again

Application

The application requires various information about your startup idea. Please complete as much as possible. The application also requires a video and a pitch deck.

  • Applications close TBA.
  • Three teams will be selected to participate in the Big Idea Competition finals and will be notified by TBA.

Preview the application link here

*Do not click the link until you are ready to apply* Apply here

KEY DATES

Applications Open: August 19, 2019

Applications Close: October 21, 2019 at 12:00 PM noon

Semi-Finals: November 1, 2019

Finals: November 19, 2019 from 4-6 PM

ATTEND

November 19, 2019
4:00-6:00 PM
UT Dallas, ATC Lecture Hall, 1.102

 

Tickets to the Big Idea Competition are free, but registration is required.

 
REGISTER
 
 

Please print the parking pass, display it on your dashboard, and park in Lot U. Shuttle service will be provided from the parking lot to the venue and back.

 
PRINT PARKING PASS
 
 

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Parking Venue Map

PAST WINNERS

Fall 2019

  • 1st place, $25,000: Resume Puppy, Anish Hegde, MS Computer Science
  • 2nd, $10,000: Disqualified
  • 3rd place, $5,000: Access My Research, Mehmet Gunal, Ph.D. Cognition and Neuroscience
  • Innovate(her), $5,000: Leg Up Legal, Anjie Vichayanonda, BS BA ’08
  • Biggest Social Impact, $5,000: Rakkasan Tea Company, Brandon Friedman, MS Public Affairs
  • Biggest Idea, $5,000: Access My Research, Mehmet Gunal, Ph.D. Cognition and Neuroscience
  • UTDesign Startup Challenge, $20,000: Fluid Impulse, Eddie Bates, BS Mechanical Engineering, Jennifer Kerner, BS Mechanical Engineering, Justin Gaumer, BS Mechanical Engineering, Samantha Aceves, BS Mechanical Engineering, Thomas Ledford, BS Mechanical Engineering
  • UTDesign Startup Challenge, $20,000: BeYOUty Tech, Nicole Faraji, MBA ’21

Fall 2018

  • 1st place, $25,000: SurviVR, Brian Hoang, BS Computer Science ’19, Lewis Zhang, BA ATEC ’16, Marwan Kodeih, BS Computer Science ’18
  • 2nd place, $10,000: Cyto PDMS, Kevin Lam, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering ’19
  • 3rd place, $5,000: Sahai, Maithreya Chakravarthula, BS Information Technology Systems
  • Innovate(her), $5,000: Code Blue Jewelry, Ngan Nguyen, MS Healthcare Leadership and Management ’19
  • Best Undergraduate Pitch, $5,000: ThreadAI, Pablo Peillard, BS Computer Science ’20
  • Biggest Social Impact, $5,000: SeeBoost, Russ Lemberg, BS Electrical and Electronics Engineering ’12
  • Biggest Idea, $5,000: Aireal, Kevin Hart
  • UTDesign Startup Challenge, $20,000: Sahai, Maithreya Chakravarthula, BS Information Technology Systems
  • UTDesign Startup Challenge, $20,000: ThreadAI, Pablo Peillard, BS Computer Science ’20
  • UTDesign Startup Challenge, $15,000: Hobo Loco, Rick Tett MS Innovation and Entrepreneurship ‘20

Fall 2017

  • 1st place, $15,000: Neuro Rehab VR, Veena Somareddy, MA Game and Interactive Media Design
  • 2nd place, $10,000: CThrough, Elaine Wang, MS Management Science ’18
  • 3rd place, $5,000: Alta Air, Jason Tran, BS Finance and Economics ’20, Konan Mirza, BS Finance and Economics ’19, Yosias Kassaye, BS Electrical Engineering ’19
  • Biggest Idea, $2,500: Brain Performance Institute
  • Biggest Social Impact, $2,500: Skyven Technologies, Arun Gupta, Ph.D. Electrical and Electronics Engineering ’12
  • Best Undergraduate Pitch $2,500: Alta Air, Jason Tran, BS Finance and Economics, Konan Mirza, BS Finance and Economics, Yosias Kassaye, BS Electrical Engineering
  • Diversity & Inclusion Award, $2,500: Neuro Rehab VR, Veena Somareddy, MA Game and Interactive Media Design
  • UTDesign Startup Challenge, $20,000: Simple Biomedical, Citlali Barron, BS Computer Science ’18, Emily Huynh, BS Computer Science ’18, Alfin Shibu, BS Computer Science ’18, Paul Parrot, Josh Park, BS Computer Science
  • UTDesign Startup Challenge, $20,000: OnPoynt Aerial Solutions, Rebecca Poynter, BS’86

If you are interested in or have any questions about Big Idea Competition, please contact:

Dresden Goldberg

Director Programs & Operations