An annual competition from Duquesne University has returned and is now calling on aspiring entrepreneurs with innovative ideas across the U.S. to submit their business proposals via a recently opened application portal.
The 2023-2024 Duquesne New Venture Challenge (DNVC) from Duquesne University, hosted by the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business, is taking applications until Nov. 12.
Over $100,000 in cash and service prizes are on the line for winning proposals that make it through the three stages of the competition. It's the fifth time the challenge has been held, many of whose participants have gone on to form as actual startup companies in the Pittsburgh area.
'The DNVC has become one of the best difference-making business plan competitions in our region," Dean McFarlin, dean of the university's business school, said in a prepared statement. "We have a track record of supporting some of the most promising early-stage ventures anywhere, and I encourage entrepreneurs seeking cash, guidance and visibility to enter the DNVC."
Proposals can be submitted at an individual level or as a team consisting of up to five people. Participants are not allowed to have any legally registered entity associated with their entry in the challenge.
