Shocker New Venture Competition

About this programme

The Shocker New Venture Competition is a student pitch competition presented and hosted by Wichita State University's Center for Entrepreneurship. It has run for 19 years since 2007, giving aspiring entrepreneurs the chance to pitch startup ideas, refine their business strategy, and gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience.

It is explicitly a student competition: the primary contact on each team must be enrolled at a Kansas college or university, taking at least 6 credit hours in the relevant spring semester. Entries must be original work by the team and represent a genuinely new business; franchises of existing chains do not qualify.

How it works

The competition runs in three rounds. Round 1 is a Business Model Video round: teams submit a 3-minute (or shorter) unlisted video via the application portal covering all nine elements: problem/opportunity, solution, target market, value proposition, competition, revenue model, costs, team, and customer feedback. About 16 teams advance out of this round.

Round 2 is a Trade Show: teams set up booths and pitch to community and student judges during an open judging window. At least one team member must attend the required informational meeting before the trade show. A separate People's Choice award is given out of this round, and the top 6 teams advance to the final.

Round 3 is the Finals: each of the top 6 teams gives a 6-minute presentation followed by a 6-minute Q&A with judges, who evaluate teams as potential investors. A slide presentation is required and a live demonstration is recommended.

For the 2026 cycle, prizes are $20,000 for 1st place, $10,000 for 2nd place, $5,000 for 3rd place, $2,000 for the NextGen Entrepreneurs Choice award, and $500 for the People's Choice award.

The Center for Entrepreneurship also offers support throughout: one-on-one pitch practice sessions booked via Calendly, library workshops on market research and intellectual property, drop-in SNVC Lab sessions with no signup required, and access to IBISWorld industry reports, patent databases, and Kauffman Foundation resources.

Who can apply

The primary contact on a team must be enrolled as a student taking at least 6 credit hours during the relevant spring semester at a Kansas college or university. Teams can have up to 5 members, and not all members need to attend the same institution or currently be enrolled.

Each team needs a community mentor or faculty advisor, and a faculty advisor must use a .edu email address.

Only one entry is allowed per individual or team.

Entries must be the original work of the team and represent a new business; franchises of existing chains are disqualified. The organizers reserve the right to disqualify teams for plagiarism, dishonesty, intellectual property infringement, or missed deadlines.

How to apply

1. Form a team of up to 5 members with a primary contact enrolled at a Kansas college or university, and line up a community mentor or faculty advisor.
2. Prepare and submit a 3-minute (or shorter) unlisted Business Model Video covering the nine required elements, through the application portal, during the open window (for the 2026 cycle: applications opened March 2 and the video was due by noon on March 26).
3. Watch for video judging results (announced April 3 for the 2026 cycle); roughly 16 teams advance to the trade show round.
4. If advancing, attend the required informational meeting/training (April 8 for the 2026 cycle).
5. Set up and present at the trade show on competition day, pitching to community and student judges during the open judging window.
6. If selected as one of the top 6 teams, deliver a 6-minute presentation plus a 6-minute Q&A in the finals that afternoon, then wait through judging deliberations for the awards ceremony.

Documents you’ll typically need

• Business Model Video, 3 minutes or less, unlisted, covering problem/opportunity, solution, target market, value proposition, competition, revenue model, costs, team, and customer feedback
• Slide presentation for the finals round (a live demonstration is recommended but not required)

Frequently asked

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Reviewed 2026-09-25. Programmes change, so check eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private firm and is not part of any government body.