New Venture Championship: Experience It

This April, sixteen teams of entrepreneurially minded graduate students came to Portland, Oregon, from universities in Thailand, China, and all over the United States. What drew them? It was the opportunity to test their mettle in the University of Oregon's New Venture Championship. Sure, the prizes mattered. The winning team would walk away with a check for $25,000 and a chance to pose for photos next to the coveted Reinmuth Cup--plus the bragging rights that come with taking the top spot in one of the most highly regarded investment competitions in the world. But for these competitors, the experience went well beyond simply racking up trophies. It was about their futures. "Win, lose or draw, the opportunity here is to learn," said a member of the Elevate Smartwear team from the University of Louisville. "Ultimately, a good panel of judges will get you to think about, really, the core of what you're doing. And these judges absolutely do that." Experience this year's NVC in the above video.