Cozad New Venture Challenge Teams Win Get Started Prizes, Affiliate Membership from EnterpriseWorks

Categories : EnterpriseWorks, Investments, Recognition & Awards
Posted on: April 26, 2023

EnterpriseWorks and Research Park awarded prizes valued at $30,000 to 10 teams who competed in the 2023 Cozad New Venture Challenge.

CNVC kicked off in early February with over 100 competing teams representing 11 colleges. The teams attended 4 workshops on customer discovery, value proposition, financials, and presentation skills, besides optional skills development workshops. Nearly 90 startup teams made it to the Demo Showcase that took place on April 13 at the Illinois Conference Center at Research Park.

Congrats to Zite AI, whose office is on the second floor of EnterpriseWorks, for capturing fourth place and winning a $5,000 investment. Zite AI makes small business owners’ dreams come true by helping them select the perfect location to open their business, increasing their revenues, and reducing the risk of failure. The team members represent Grainger College of Engineering (Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering).

Cozad New Venture Challenge Teams Win Get Started Prizes, Affiliate Membership from EnterpriseWorks 4 Cozad New Venture Challenge Teams Win Get Started Prizes, Affiliate Membership from EnterpriseWorks

Get Started! Prize: Winners:

The Get Started! Prize offers up to $5,000 per team to leverage professional consultants and experts to assist with company legal formation, branding, business strategy, and getting your team launched as a company. Services will be provided by Entrepreneurs-in-Residences on an hourly basis or approved regional professional firms.

  • ClimeCast
  • Enviro
  • ReSeed Solutions
  • Sakura MedTech
  • Zite AI

All finalists received Affiliate Membership at EnterpriseWorks. This includes use of co-working space, access to conference rooms, common areas, support services, and entrepreneur assistance.

  • Enviro
  • Sakura MedTech
  • Zite AI
  • Beacon
  • Hatch
  • Integrated Dynamics
  • Top Tier

CNVC is a campus-wide program that provides mentoring to teams through the phases of venture creation, and resources in idea validation, pitching skills, and customer development.

The teams pitched their startup ideas to about 105 past Cozad alumni, investors, mentors, faculty, sponsors, and partners of the University of Illinois entrepreneurship ecosystem who served as judges.

Past participants of the program include EnterpriseWorks graduates Mesh++, Prenosis, Cast21, Psyonic and Serionix, in addition to EnterpriseWorks startups Natrion and DeepWalk.

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