DEADLINES

• Friday, April 5, 2024 – Submissions due by 12PM (noon/lunch time) Eastern Time 

• Wednesday, April 10, 2024 - Finalists are selected and notified by 5:00 p.m. ET via email 

• Thursday, April 18, 2024 - Interviews from 9AM until 3PM (20-minute interview total per team: 5-minute presentation followed by Q&A); Reception and announcment of winners at 5PM 

  • Finalist will give a 1-minute pitch to the audience and the judges will provide live feedback to each venture.

  • Announcement of winners and reception to follow. 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR APRIL 5 DEADLINE

The Launch! Competition reflects the practices and requirements of investors today. As such, a traditional “plan” is not required. Your submission should include the following:

One-page executive summary (see Resources section for examples)

10 – 15-page PowerPoint, including:

• Clear description of the product or service being offered
• Discussion of the market for this product or service
• Outline of the business model and value proposition
• Discussion of what you’ve done to de-risk your business, and an outline of the next steps for you and your team
• Overview of the management team
• Optional: Projected financials
• Optional: Video “elevator” pitch (2 – 5 minutes)
  • Video pitches will be required for all finalists

Participants should be able to speak to the sales cycle, price point, product distribution, competitive advantages, and barriers to entry. Please Upload your submissions via YouNoodle using the following format for labeling your documents: VentureName_LastName_Launch.doc.;

THE SLIDES YOU SUBMIT DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE SLIDES YOU USE FOR THE FINAL COMPETITION. 

Click Here to Watch a Pitch Prep Workshop Recording with Prof. Les Alexander

FINAL COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS

If you are selected as a finalist for the Launch Competition, you will be notified via email on Wednesday, April 10 by 5PM Eastern Time. 20-minute interviews (5-minute pitch with Q&A to follow) will take place on Thursday, April 18, 2024, between 9AM and 3PM Eastern Time. Finalists will be contacted via email to determine their preferred time slot for interviews. You do not need to be incorporated to enter into the Launch! Competition, but winners of the competition MUST be incorporated to receive funds. All prize money will be paid directly to the company. Winners have up to one year to claim the funds.

Interview Expectations:

• 20 minutes total per team: 5-minute presentation followed by Q&A
• Presentation requirements: 5 minutes answering thejudging criteria; Bring your own slides on a USB drive or on laptop that can plugged into an HDMI cable. Please ensure that any presentations that will be on Macbooks HDMI ports or adapters. We do not have Mac HDMI adapters available.
• You will be given a time slot based on your availability. You will be notified of your time slot by Tuesday, April 16th
• Your entire team does NOT have to be present
• Only current UVA students are able to present during presentation and Q&A

E-Cup Timeline:

April 10, 2024
Finalists are selected and notified by 5:00PM ET via email

April 18, 2024
9:00AM - 3PM ET: Interview with Judges - 20 minutes total per team: 5-minute presentation followed by Q&A

5:00PM ET: Announcement of winners and reception. Teams will give a 1-minute pitch to the audience and the judges will provide live feedback to each venture.