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Entrepreneurship CupConcept applications are open. Due October 23 at noon ET.Concept details →
◆ The Entrepreneurship Cup · 2026–27

Concept is a celebration of ideas.

No prototype required — start with a problem worth solving and what you have noticed about it. Reviewers score insight, evidence, originality, and why you. Scale, technical complexity, and polish earn nothing.

Apply to Concept →Study guidePrintable applicationKey dates
Every entrant

Everyone who enters gets Foundry Perks

Not just finalists — every entrant. Concept entrants get a full Premium membership from the day they enter: more than 600 startup deals and $12k+ in listed credits ready to use, yours to keep whether or not you place. Credit amounts are current as of September 2026 and subject to each vendor’s eligibility requirements and terms.

  • Fin by Intercom$6,500
  • Microsoft Azure$5,000
  • OpenAI API$1,000
  • Claude via OpenRouter$1,000
  • OpenRouter$1,000
  • Airtable$1,000
  • Miro$1,000
  • Stripe$500

Additional credits when you qualify

  • AWS Activate — up to $100,000 for eligible startups
  • Microsoft Azure — up to $150,000 for funded startups
  • TikTok Ads — up to $6,000, spend-matched
  • Vinci AI — $1,000–$10,000 based on revenue
  • Google Ads — up to $1,000, spend-matched

Who can enter.

  • Open to current UVA and UVA Wise students
  • Every school and every year, from undergraduate through PhD
  • Solo founders and teams are welcome
  • Teams may include non-students, but a current UVA student must lead
  • Already selling something? You are still eligible
  • No undergraduate and graduate divisions

What the 20 finalists get.

Everything every entrant gets, plus extra support and recognition.

  • Pro bono legal help
  • Automatic application to the Winter 2027 Pre-Launch cohort program
  • A unique swag bag of Foundry merch
  • Coworking space at The Foundry
  • A cool trophy
  • More perks to come

Pre-Launch applications are automatic; cohort admission is not guaranteed.

Jefferson Trust Flash Grants

New this year: anyone interested in further exploring their idea or concept may apply for up to $10,000 in philanthropic grant funding through the Jefferson Trust’s Flash Grant program. This is a year-round grant cycle, particularly valuable for idea-stage founders who are still learning and need funding to test, build, or advance a concept. Funding is not guaranteed, but the Foundry helps interested finalist teams prepare and submit strong applications. Learn more at jeffersontrust.org.

Your venture does not need to be software.

Storefronts, food, trades, services, hardware, and technology all belong here. Reviewers score insight, evidence, originality, and why you — scale, technical complexity, and polish earn nothing — so a venture with paying customers holds strong evidence, whatever it sells.

How Concept is judged.

Every idea is reviewed against the same four plain-language criteria, and you can check your draft against them before you submit.

  1. 01

    Test your draft first

    An AI self-test window runs October 16–20: check your application against the published criteria before you submit. Using AI to edit your writing is fine and is not scored either way — but everything you describe must be accurate, and you attest to that when you submit.

  2. 02

    Review rooms

    October 23–30: short feedback sessions with three human reviewers, who ask follow-up questions about what you wrote. Every claim in your application should hold up in that conversation.

  3. 03

    20 finalists

    Finalists are notified October 30, and all 20 share the stage at the Concept Final on November 13. Feedback is available on request after decisions: your average score on each criterion plus reviewer comments. Scores are final; only procedural errors are reviewed.

What the rubric scores

  • Insight
    Do you understand a real problem better than most people do?
  • Evidence
    What have you actually observed, asked, or tested—not assumed?
  • Originality
    Is there a fresh angle, or a meaningful new take on a known model?
  • Why you
    What about your life, skills, or access makes you the person for this?

What scores zero

  • Scale
  • Technical complexity
  • Polish

Launch uses a different rubric. The 2027 version has not been published; what 2026 rewarded is on the Launch page.

Key dates.

  • Sep 23Applications openFoundry Perks access begins when you enter
  • Oct 16AI self-test windowThrough October 20 — test your application against the published criteria before submitting
  • Oct 23Submissions dueNoon ET — submit the problem, who experiences it, and what you have noticed
  • Oct 23Review roomsThrough October 30 — short feedback sessions with three human reviewers
  • Oct 30Finalists notified20 finalists advance and receive additional prizes and benefits
  • Nov 13Concept FinalAll 20 finalists share the stage

You have an idea. That is the whole entry requirement.

Apply to Concept →Get help with your idea →