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Overview

VentureCat is Northwestern’s annual student startup competition and celebrates the University’s most promising student founders. The program culminates in a pitch competition in which more than $100,000 in non-dilutive prize money is distributed to student ventures. 

Since 2014

$2.0+ million
Non-dilutive funding awarded
$1.4+ billion
Raised by VentureCat founders
2,600+
Jobs created by VentureCat businesses
50%
Of VentureCat businesses are active or have been acquired

History & How It Works

VentureCat is an evolution of the Northwestern University Venture Challenge (NUVC), which was originally introduced in 2007. From inception, NUVC distinguished itself from other pitch competitions around the globe by organizing competitors in industry-specific tracks. The track structure leverages the rich expertise of distinct schools from across the University in both graduate and undergraduate programs, and awards top teams with non-dilutive capital.

Students apply to the program in one of five distinct tracks:

  • Business Products and Services
  • Consumer Products and Services
  • Energy and Sustainability
  • Life Sciences and Medical Innovations
  • Social Impact 

Semifinalists are selected from the pool of applicants and participate in a four week Pitch Prep Program. The program includes pitch coaching, industry expert consultations and professional graphic design services.

At the culmination of the Pitch Prep Program, teams compete by track in private semifinals pitching their ventures to a panel of industry experts as judges. The top team in each track moves on to compete in the finals with a panel of prominent investors and entrepreneurs. Competition day ends with the finalists taking the main stage to pitch one more time to an audience of hundreds of students, alums, and investors at the Public Showcase. The finals prizes are announced, and the audience votes for their favorite startup.

Organizers 

VentureCat is a collaborative program at Northwestern, supported by the Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurship Law Center,  The Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, The Kellogg School of Management,  and The Garage. Leaders from these organizations work together to produce the program each year.