Since 2007, the Shocker New Venture Competition has offered aspiring entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience. It allows participants to pitch their startup ideas, refine their business strategies, and gain valuable insights into what it takes to launch a successful company. This prestigious competition is proudly hosted and organized by Wichita State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship, dedicated to fostering entrepreneurial endeavors.
How to Compete Rules Student Judge Volunteer Sponsor
Thank you to all the teams and judges who participated in the first round of the competition!
Alcatraz Inc.
Biz Connect
Building Bedrock Education
C Modular
MedX Innovations
OasisDev
Obfuscated Inc
Ransom Edu
We look forward to seeing the teams advancing to the Trade Show April 11th, and we are excited to see the community April 26th for the Trade Show and Finals!
Competition Applications Open
Applications and Business Model Video
Ongoing Business Model Judging
Business Model Judging Results Announced
Meeting/Training for Trade Show Participation
10:30 - 1:00 P.M.
1:00 P.M. (Teams Advancing to the Finals Announcement)
1:00 - 2:00 P.M.
2:00 - 4:30 P.M.
Chase Curtiss is an innovative product designer, entrepreneur and start-up executive with expertise in growing startups and commercializing medical technology in Tulsa and San Francisco. He has taken on active management roles throughout the start-up lifecycle in building his own companies and taking on executive level management of product development at more mature companies. Chase has extensive experience in user experience, user-testing and behavioral analysis that he regularly uses to help start-ups design better products. Chase is the founder of Sway Medical, Inc. the world’s leader in mobile concussion management for athletes.
Chase has been recognized as a pioneer in the mobile health space with the first ever FDA clearance for a software only mobile medical device. He has extensive experience with HIPAA compliance, research validation for regulatory approval and the development of quality systems. Chase has been highlighted in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg TV, Forbes, Pando Daily, Mobihealthnews, the Grey Sheet and many other mainstream and medically focused publications for his work in medical technology development.
Chase has significant experience in marketing and social media management having built an online basketball community with over two million followers and national sponsors that include Wilson Sporting Goods, Verizon, Atlantic Records, Disney, Buick and more. YouTube selected Chase as a NextUP recipient in 2011 for promising creative work in online video content and Google named him a Brand Innovator in 2014 for building a sports social media platform with over 300 Million video views.
Applications & Videos may be submitted by selecting the "Apply Now" button on the SNVC website; the applications are live March 4th - March 28th.
Judges will review the videos submitted by April 4 and select approximately 16 teams to advance to the Trade Show. Primary contacts and mentors of teams advancing will be informed via email.
The 3-minute video submitted during this round should be an overview of your new venture
and cover aspects of the business model canvas.
For details on content and instructions for upload:
*** Failure to to include the required information listed in the Video Guide will result in being eliminated from the competition.
To participate in the Trade Show, at least one team member is required to attend the Informational Meeting/Training for Trade Show Participation on April 11th.
The Trade Show will be held April 26th. It will entail the following timeline:
Set-up: 8:00 - 10:00 A.M.
Open Judging: 10:30 - 1:00 P.M.
Finals Announcement: 1:10 P.M.
Before the judging starts, teams will set up booths, which provide the visual component
of their pitches. As judges and other visitors visit the booths, team members are to offer pitches about their business idea and respond to questions and comments.
Teams are expected to come prepared with thorough knowledge of all aspects of their
business model.
There will be two types of judges visiting your booth: community judges and student judges.
The 6 teams team with the most community judge investments will move onto the Finals; meanwhile, the team with the most student judge "investments" will be awarded the People's Choice Award.
As judges visit your booth, you will be pitching your venture to them and answering their questions.
The six teams will be assigned a presentation time by blind draw conducted April 26th, after the conclusion of the Trade Show.
Starting at 2:00 P.M. teams will begin giving their business pitch, treating the judges as potential investors. The following format will be used:
Presentation by the team - 5 minutes
Q&A - 5 minutes
***A slide presentation is required and a demonstration is recommended.
The following rules are binding throughout the entire duration of the Shocker New Venture Competition (SNVC). Participating in the SNVC indicates that teams accept these rules and regulations and agree to abide by them. The WSU Center for Entrepreneurship and the SNVC staff reserve the right to disqualify any team and/or team member they believe are not abiding by the rules of the SNVC.
The Shocker New Venture Competition honors the confidentiality of all participants' business concepts. Business concepts will not be released for any purposes other than use in SNVC. The judges also recognize the sensitivity of the materials being presented.
Due to the nature of the competition, we are not able to ask the judges, reviewers, and staff to sign non-disclosure statements. They all will be asked to make a good faith effort to preserve the confidentiality of each business concept. However, no special provisions are made to protect intellectual property. Teams should take measures to protect their own intellectual property. We would encourage you to not disclose any proprietary information. It is not necessary for you to share your secret sauce to get us fired up about your venture.
Craft Your Competitive Edge
Through the offerings provided by the WSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Ablah Library, strengthen the venture you bring to the Shocker New Venture Competition. Learn, practice, and prepare what you need to succeed!
We invite you to participate in Ablah Library's carefully curated entrepreneurship workshops.
Attend both "Market Research for Startups" and "Intro to Intellectual Property" to fortify your foundation.
(We advise checking in for updates, as this series is offered fall and spring)
Entrepreneurship Research Series
Hone your pitching skills and improve your pitch content by scheduling an appointment to practice and get feedback for your pitch, an essential element of each round of SNVC.
Schedule today!
If you cannot find a date and time provided when scheduling, reach out directly to
Nancy Kersenbrock (nancy.kersenbrock@wichita.edu), and we will find a time that works for you.
A big thank you to all our sponsors for the Shocker New Venture Competition, whose collective contributions across the premium, gold, silver, and bronze tiers create a platform where startup ideas flourish. Your support is integral to the success and impact of the Shocker New Venture Competition.
How to Compete Rules & Guidelines Student Judge Volunteer Sponsor
If you cannot find a date and time provided when scheduling a Pitch Practice or Startup Consultation, reach out directly to Nancy Kersenbrock, and we will find a time that works for you.