THE UH VENTURE COMPETITION PROVIDES HANDS-ON EDUCATION, MENTORSHIP AND RESOURCES TO UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I STUDENTS WHO SEEK TO START A NEW BUSINESS. IT IS OPEN TO STUDENTS FROM ALL 10 UH SYSTEM CAMPUSES.
THE UH VENTURE COMPETITION PROVIDES HANDS-ON EDUCATION, MENTORSHIP AND RESOURCES TO UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I STUDENTS WHO SEEK TO START A NEW BUSINESS. IT IS OPEN TO STUDENTS FROM ALL 10 UH SYSTEM CAMPUSES.
GUIDELINES AND RULES
To enter the UH Venture Competition, the designated team leader must complete the online registration form by the registration deadline. We recommend that you compose your responses in a separate document and copy/paste them into the form.
- This competition is intended for University of Hawai’i students. Participants may apply individually or as part of a team. Each individual or team must have at least one full-time or part-time student who is currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program at any of the 10 campuses within the University of Hawai’i System.
- Students may include faculty and members of the community as part of their team.
- Students must play a major role in developing the venture, composing the business plan, and giving the oral presentation.
- Students must have an ownership stake in the business or the potential for equity or employment.
- Each individual may only participate in one entry (either solo or as part of a team) per annual competition.
- All entries must be for new companies or existing companies less than one year old. Businesses may be either for-profit or not-for-profit.
- Submissions that previously advanced to the final round may not be submitted again in subsequent years.
- If an individual or team advances to the semi-final or final round, the participant or all members of the competition team must be present for the oral presentation.
- All entries must be the original work of students. Copying of third-party business plans or any other unauthorized use of third-party confidential or proprietary information will not be tolerated.
- Proposals for buy-outs, real estate syndication, tax shelters, franchises, merger/acquisitions, consulting projects, or licensing arrangements will not be considered.
- No entry may be submitted on the condition that organizers, judges, coaches, reviewers, audience members, or staff members sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
- Participation in the Entrepreneurs’ Bootcamps, which are held in conjunction with this competition, is highly recommended. Participants must register separately for the bootcamps.
- The awards are taxable.
- The check will be issued either to the individual winner, the team’s legal business entity, or the student team members. Payments will not be made to non-students.
- Each team winning a prize will have sole responsibility for deciding how to allocate or otherwise use its prize proceeds. The organizers of the competition will not become involved, either voluntarily or by request, in a team’s decision concerning the allocation or use of prize proceeds. The prize recipients will be required to provide appropriate documentation to receive the award payments which may include W9, WH1 or W8BEN forms.
Participants may apply individually or as part of a team of up to six members. Teams may include both graduate and undergraduate students from any major. Students may include faculty and members of the community as part of their team.
If you’re interested in joining a team, please use the “Interested in joining a team?” form below. If you already have a business idea or a team and are looking for a member with specific skills, check the “Find a team member” dashboard below and message them using the provided email.
Interested in joining a team?
Find a team member
Competition judges will be drawn from a pool of volunteers with a variety of backgrounds, including venture funding, law, accounting, marketing and general business.
Semi-final teams will be paired with a coach. Coaches are volunteers from the business community who are generously giving up their time and expertise, therefore competitors are expected to be respectful of their time. The coach will help mentor teams to gain traction by:
- Making introductions so that the team can conduct customer discovery interviews;
- Focusing the team to develop product/market fit; and
- Providing feedback on the team’s business plan and pitch.
Participation in the competition does not qualify for academic credit at this time.
The University of Hawaii Systemwide Student Conduct Code applies to all participants of the UH Venture Competition. UH expects students to maintain standards of personal integrity that are in harmony with the educational goals of UH; to respect the rights, privileges, and property of others; and to observe national, state, and local laws and University policies and procedures.
If you feel that significant confidentiality issues will arise in the course of preparing your plan, you should have a thorough understanding worked out with your team members in advance. While every effort will be made to preserve the confidentiality of each submission, it is suggested that highly sensitive material be excluded from the entry if a team is concerned about the confidentiality of such material. Note, however, that teams will be making presentations to a public audience and that the competition may be broadcast via media including radio, television, social media, and the internet. Any data or information discussed in the presentation should be considered information that may enter the public realm. Of course, technical drawings and formulae need not be shown in the presentations, or even included in the submission. All reasonable measures to ensure the protection of intellectual property introduced and associated with the competition will be taken. The University of Hawai‘i and the organizers of the UH Venture Competition cannot take further responsibility to protect the intellectual property or other rights of the competitors. Protection of such rights is ultimately the responsibility of each competitor. Competitors are urged to mark as “CONFIDENTIAL” any portion of their entries which they consider to be confidential.
For questions regarding UH intellectual property, you are encouraged to reach out to the UH Office of Technology Transfer.
- All team members agree to allow the University of Hawai‘i and the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) to record all public sessions of the competition. Entrants understand that recordings may be copied and distributed for the purpose of marketing the competition in future years.
- The judges’ decisions are final, and teams may not make appeals or complaints against the judges, organizers, sponsors, the Shidler College of Business, or the University of Hawai‘i.
- The competition rules may be amended at any time. The then-current rules will be posted to the competition website.
PRIZES
2026 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
The UH Venture Competition is made up of three rounds over the course of the spring semester: Slide Deck and Business Summary, Semifinal, and the Final Round. PACE hosts a series of workshops in conjunction with the competition to enhance the participants’ experience and to help move their ventures forward. Deadlines are strictly enforced. The deadlines below are tentative and may be subject to change. Please check back regularly for any updates to the schedule.
| DATE | EVENT | TIME | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 17 | Ideation Workshop w/ Jeff Hui Join this hands-on ideation workshop with Jeff Hui to explore real-world challenges and learn how to develop your ideas. |
4:30 - 6:30 PM | Register HERE |
| December 2 | Information Session (remote) Learn all the details to be successful in the competition. Anyone considering competing is encouraged to attend at least one information session. |
12:00 - 1:15 PM | Register HERE |
| January 5 | Competition Registration Period Opens |
12:00 AM | Register Soon |
| January 21 | Information Session Learn all the details to be successful in the competition. Anyone considering competing is encouraged to attend at least one information session. |
4:30 - 5:45 PM | Register HERE |
| January 22 | Information Session (remote) Learn all the details to be successful in the competition. Anyone considering competing is encouraged to attend at least one information session. |
12:00 - 1:15 PM | Register HERE |
| January 27 | Entrepreneurs' Bootcamp 1 Teams are highly encouraged to attend this workshop series. Meet like-minded students and learn entrepreneurship. Learn more HERE |
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM | Register Soon |
| February 6 | Competition Registration Period Closes Changes may be made to team members until the Slide Deck and Business Summary submission deadline on February 23. Round 1 Submission Guidelines |
Submit by 12:00 PM | Apply Soon |
| February 23 | Round 1: Slide Deck & Business Summary Deadline Teams will be asked to enter their team members' names on the Slide Deck and Business Summary submission form. These names will be listed as the OFFICIAL team members for the competition. This is your last chance to make changes to your team. Round 1 Submission Guidelines |
Submit by 11:59 PM | A unique submission link will be included in the confirmation email sent to the Team Leader |
| March 4 | Sustainability Workshop w/ Dr.Alden |
4:30 PM | Register Soon |
| March 5 | Semifinalist & Coach Pairing Announcement Coach pairings will be sent via email. |
4:30 PM | Web posting |
| March 7 | Entrepreneurs' Bootcamp 2, Coaches' Briefing (for Coaches only), & Coach and Semifinalist Meet and Greet Teams are highly encouraged to attend this workshop series. Meet like-minded students and learn entrepreneurship. Learn more HERE |
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM | Register Soon |
| March 29 | Round 2 (Written): Business Plan Deadline Business Plan Submission Guidelines |
Submit by 11:59 PM | Submit your form HERE |
| April 11 | Round 2 (Oral): Semifinal Competition & Finalist Announcement The finalists announcement will be made via web posting. Oral Presentation Guidelines |
8:45 AM - 1:30 PM | By invitation only |
| April 23 | Finalist Rehearsal This rehearsal session is mandatory for all finalists of the competition. |
3:30 - 6:15 PM 45-min time slots |
By invitation only |
| April 26 | Revised Plans Due |
Submit by 11:59 PM | By invitation only |
| May 9 | Final Competition & Awards |
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM | By invitation only |
RESOURCES
PAST CHALLENGES
TRADITIONAL CATEGORY – PAST WINNERS
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CATEGORY – PAST WINNERS
MAHALO TO OUR SPONSORS
TITLE SPONSORS
MAHALO TO OUR SPONSORS
TITLE SPONSORS
PRIZE SPONSORS
PRIZE SPONSORS
phone: (808) 956-5083
fax: (808) 956-5107
email: pace@hawaii.edu
phone: (808) 956-5083
fax: (808) 956-5107
email: pace@hawaii.edu
University of Hawaiʻi
An Equal Employment Opportunity Institution.
© 2025 Shidler College of Business. All rights reserved.
2404 Maile Way, Room E-402, Honolulu, HI 96822
Website by Blue Logic Labs
Intranet • Credits