Conductor to host National Collegiate Venture Competition for student entrepreneurs

The Conductor, a Conway-based organization focused on growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem, will present a National Collegiate Venture Competition to celebrate successful student entrepreneurs from college campuses around the United States, the organization announced Friday (Jan. 26).

The competition is open to college students and recent college graduates, with a first-place prize of $10,000 and a second-place prize of $5,000. To apply, companies must complete an application, submit a 60-second video and lean canvas. In order to be considered, businesses must have recurring revenue, clients and a faculty sponsor, according to Conductor.

“The National Collegiate Venture Competition creates a platform to celebrate successful student ventures, ‘dorm room founders’ and collegiate change agents,” Kim Lane, chief operating officer of the Conductor, said in the release. “This competition falls squarely within the Conductor’s mission to reduce barriers to entry for entrepreneurs and to propel the success of student entrepreneurs.”

The deadline to apply is March 5. A judging panel of “well-known venture capitalists and entrepreneurial icons will review the submissions for the competition,” according to the organization, and the first-place and second-place honorees will be announced March 28.

“The work of the Conductor with university faculty and students, as well as the community, has been a differentiator to other entrepreneurial support organizations, and that work has been recognized by entrepreneurs all over the world,” Jeff Standridge, chief catalyst of the Conductor, said in the release. “The National Collegiate Venture Competition is a normal next evolution in the Conductor’s role.”

Conductor is a public-private partnership between the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and Startup Junkie Consulting of Fayetteville.

“This is an amazing opportunity to catalyze a network of student entrepreneurs,” UCA President Houston Davis, said in the release. “UCA is proud to be at the center of this type of national competition.

Additional information about the competition is available on the Conductor website.

Students may apply online here.