The Kennesaw State University – Michael J. Coles College of Business has recently announced the opening of submissions for its annual KSU Top Startup 100 competition.
Each year, the KSU Top 100 pitch competition is sponsored by the Robin and Doug Shore Entrepreneurship Center at Coles. The goal of the center is to build a community of entrepreneurs who can improve lives by approaching the world with an entrepreneurial mindset shaped by solving problems, creating value and helping others.
Both graduate and undergraduate students from any major or school can apply for a chance to compete in the KSU Top 100. Students from one of the Coles’ international partner schools—ASEBUSS (Romania) and UNITEC (Honduras) are also invited to apply.
After applications are submitted, one hundred finalists will be selected to compete, and each student will be paired with a mentor who will guide them throughout the competition.
The contest will take place throughout multiple rounds, in which students will compete for a spot in the final three. These finalists will have the chance to pitch in front of a live audience, which will include experienced investors and professional entrepreneurs.
Finalists in last year’s KSU Top Startup 100 competition came from a wide variety of backgrounds and industries. Gavel, an award-winning company created by Garrett Jacobs, is a cloud-based platform for businesses to manage the numerous data points and auctioneer must manage during the process of making a sale. Cookies and Cookies Laboratory, created by Daniela Carvajalino, is a laboratory themed cookie shop which allows customers to develop their ideal cookie formula.
Winners of the KSU Top 100 have the chance to win up to $100,000 in investment funds and business services, and a cash award of $5,000.