Business School Extends ‘New Venture Challenge’ Deadline to Meet Response

Due to numerous requests from additional applicants, the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business has extended the submission deadline for the Duquesne New Venture Challenge to Thursday, Nov. 21. The two-stage business plan competition is open to individuals and teams up to four people from the University community, Pittsburgh and beyond.

In Stage I, participants must submit a short description of their business idea with a two-minute video “elevator pitch.” Cash prizes of $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000 will be awarded to the top three video pitches. The competition judges, who are regional business leaders and members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, will select up to five finalist teams to move onto Stage II of the competition and receive service prizes worth approximately $45,000.

In Stage II, finalists are assigned mentors from the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem and will have free access to Palo Alto’s LivePlan software, the world’s leading business plan software designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners. In addition, services from the competition sponsors—the Duquesne University School of Law, the Duquesne University Small Business Development Center and the maker space in the business school’s Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship—will be available.

Finalists will submit an executive summary, business plan and PowerPoint presentation. They will then present their submission live and take questions from a panel of judges. Cash prizes totaling $25,000 will be distributed to the finalists, with the top three finalists earning approximately $10,000 in service prizes.

Details on the 2019 New Venture Challenge’s rules and regulations are available online. For more information, visit www.duq.edu/nvc, call 412.396.2538 or email migliuolom@duq.edu.