Venture Cat Competition 2026

About

A competition providing over $175,000 in non-dilutive funding for student startups, along with mentorship and pitching experience, aimed at showcasing innovative business ideas across various sectors.

Benefits

• 💰Total Prize Pool
  $175,000+ in non-dilutive funding
• 🎓Mentorship and Pitching Experience
  Mentorship and pitching experience provided to all participants
• 🌐Showcase Opportunity
  Opportunity to showcase startups to a public audience and gain exposure
• 📚Access to Resources
  Access to entrepreneurial resources and programming at Northwestern.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be a currently enrolled degree-seeking student at Northwestern University
• Must have a U.S. based registered business entity to receive prize money
• Teams can be of any size and cover any industry in one of the five competition tracks (Business Products and Services, Consumer Products and Services, Energy and Sustainability, Life Sciences and Medical Innovations, Social Impact)
• Businesses that have raised more than $500,000 in equity capital are ineligible to compete
• Previous winners of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place at VentureCat finals are ineligible to compete in future years.

Participation Commitments

• Must complete a 10-slide pitch deck and a 60-second elevator pitch video
• The Northwestern student must act as the Team Lead and present during the competition
• Must provide a completed W-9 form by July 1, 2026, to receive prize payments.

Target Region

United States

Target Sector

All sectors