Seed Your Startup
... is designed to help young entrepreneurs make the transition from ideas to formalized action plans, with the opportunity to win funding! Students from Western University are invited to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas for a chance to win up to $2,000.
About Our Pitch Competition
Prizes
There are over $8,500 in prizes up for grabs at Seed Your Startup 2023!
There are three startup categories to compete in:
1) Technology / Service
2) Retail / Product
3) Social Enterprise / Not-For-Profit
We are excited to announce the prize opportunities for each category (technology/service, retail/product and social enterprise/not-for-profit):
- 1st Place: $2000
- 2nd Place: $500
Bonus: $1,000 People's Choice Award
In total: $8,500 in prizes will be given away.
The Seed Your Startup winners will be selected on the quality of their startup, delivery of the pitch and the ability to move the business forward. The competition will take place in three stages:
Stage 1 - Written Application
All applicants must submit a 2-page summary of their startup idea. This is due Friday, March 3rd.
Stage 2 - Semi-Final Pitch
Selected teams will be invited to pitch to a panel of judges who will decide the finalists.
Stage 3 - The Finals
The top two finalists in each category will pitch to a live audience and panel of judges. The finals will take place on Thursday, March 30th.
All current undergraduate and graduate students from Western and affiliated colleges are invited to submit their early-stage business idea.
Competition Timeline
If selected to move forward in Seed Your Startup 2023, please be aware of the following important dates:
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Friday, March 3, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.
Tentative: Week of March 13-17, 2023
18 teams will receive an email indicating if their application is proceeding to the next round in Seed Your Startup 2023.
Tentative: Week of March 20-24, 2023.
The final 6 teams are selected to move forward to the Seed Your Startup 2023 Live Final.
Tentative: March 27, 2023.
Finalists must attend our virtual “Polish Your Pitch” workshop with one of our Entrepreneurship Advisors. This workshop will be vital in helping finalists develop the strongest pitch for the competition.
Thursday, March 30, 2023.
Previous Year's Winners
Each year, we challenge student entrepreneurs to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas and pursuits to the Western community. Our Seed You Startup 2020 finalists were a talented group of driven individuals.
We're proud to learn that last year's winners, AfterSell and Apricotton, have continued growing their businesses.
Where are they now? Click the buttons below to learn where their entrepreneurial careers have taken them.
Snapshot of Important Dates
Open
Applications open on:
February 1, 2023.
Close
Applications close on:
Friday, March 3 at 11:59 p.m.
Finale
Finalists will live pitch on
Thursday, March 30.
Questions?
Our team at Morrissette Entrepreneurship is excited to offer this opportunity. Should you have any questions, feel free to send us a message.
Get in Touch!