Charlotte Venture Challenge

CVC 2014 has evolved to become the premiere business competition that connects ambassadors, coaches, investors and corporate innovators – all who have the same mission:

• to leverage innovative ideas
• to go out of their way to help entrepreneurs succeed

The Charlotte Venture Challenge is a start-up competition for early-stage high growth companies. The competition has a history of producing and showcasing some of the Southeast’s most successful early-stage companies. In 2012, 117 start-up companies entered the competition for the chance to win over $113,000 in prize money.

This year’s competition, 2014 Charlotte Venture Challenge, will move 40 teams forward to compete in the finals.

Each team will:

• Be assigned an ambassador who is a business advisor relevant-in-the-field and responsible to expose teams to potential corporate customers and innovation talent scouts
• Present to Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists throughout the day of the finals
• Top finalists will pitch for the grand prize in front of the judging panel and a large audience.

History

In 2001, the Five Ventures Business Innovation Competition was founded with the goal of helping early-stage UNC Charlotte businesses grow. Since those early days and through the support of UNC Charlotte’s Charlotte Research Institute, Office of Technology Transfer and Belk College of Business sponsors, service providers and a number of dedicated partners, the competition has grown into a region-wide economic development competition attracting companies from all over North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Since the first competition, over 100 start-ups have made it to the finals where experts and investors from our community have mentored them. Alumni companies have gone on to raise over $40 million in venture capital and have continued to gain national and international attention. The competition name was changed in 2012 to the Charlotte Venture Challenge.