UCSD Entrepreneur Challenge - An entirely student-run entrepreneurship competition that will fuel the next generation of technology entrepreneurs: the UCSD Entrepreneur Challenge. $80,000 in prizes awarded in the 2008-2009 academic year.

Mission

The mission of the UC San Diego Entrepreneur Challenge is to foster community involvement and technological innovation by bringing multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, scientists, and business-minded students together with local area entrepreneurs and professionals in order that they might shape the world of tomorrow by securing the health of San Diego’s economy today.

The Challenge creates a platform previously absent from UC San Diego where scientists, engineers, and business students may interact.  We connect these young entrepreneurs with intellectual property law firms, angel investors, venture capitalists, and a broad spectrum of other successful business professionals in the community.

Once a team establishes itself, the organization then nurtures their growth using a three pronged approach: we provide 1) educational workshops on entrepreneurship, 2) expert guidance and mentoring through sponsor relations and established programs such as CONNECT and 3) prize incentives in our challenge that showcase the contestants’ innovative ventures to the San Diego community.