[PROFESSIONAL] Innovators' Challenge

Original Event Date: November 12th, 2008

Fall 2008 Pledge Class Event

The Innovators' Challenge was envisioned as student business plan competition. Competitors were tasked with envisioning a start-up and drafting a 2-page business plan. A slate of finalists were selected who made a 10-minute pitch to a panel of esteemed industry and faculty judges. The winners received a combined $500 in prizes and were published in venture capital blogs and journals.

The pilot event had almost 30 competitors out of which over 10 made finalists. Over 25 judges scored the written portion of the competition including venture capitalists from the Phoenix area and Silicon Valley. Presentations were judged by a panel including representatives from the Apollo Group, Northern Trust and Vangaurd.

"We have a number of students in the W.P. Carey School who are interested in starting their own business," said Kay Faris, associate dean of the business school, in a State Press article. "Often, however, students don't know if an idea is viable...this is a wonderful opportunity to get feedback for new ideas from people in the industry."

The Innovators' Challenge program has blossomed into a fully integrated entrepreneurial association that includes a symposium held in the Spring semester. The group's new mission, "to catalyze entrepreneurs by recognizing exceptional innovators, providing opportunities for visionaries to connect, and facilitating their lifelong learning experience" complements Delta Sigma Pi's entrepreneurial spirit.

Arnav Guleria, the program's founder and Delta Sigma Pi's VP Professional Development, said the Innovators' Challenge is a subsidiary of Delta Sigma Pi, but still operates as a sovereign entity, with its own management and budget.