The Oregon New Venture Championship (NVC) is back in business for 2021. For its milestone 30th year, the competition has gone virtual, adapting to the new realities of a global pandemic and leveraging the technology that has changed the way people interact.
Contestants will prerecord their presentations, which will then be broadcast for viewers during a week’s worth of events, to be held April 19-23.
Going virtual has its advantages. The elimination of the barrier of travel allowed competitors from far and wide to throw their hats into the ring. This year saw a 20 percent increase in applicants—more than 70 teams from around the world. From this application pool, judges will select the 16 semifinalist teams on March 21.
The Portland, Oregon venue is an important one—the local flavor is one of the elements that makes NVC one of the top entrepreneurial investment competitions to attend. But it does have one drawback. Although the competition is open to the public, traditionally it has only been attended by those within distance. This year, NVC is excited to welcome any and all who wish to watch the best and brightest young entrepreneurs present their groundbreaking business ventures, as the event will be broadcast via a livestreaming platform.
The competition’s judges also benefit from the flexibility allowed by the virtual arena—taking part from far beyond Portland. NVC engages more than 100 volunteer judges each year, with five industry leaders sitting on the judging panel for the competition’s final round. 2021’s final round judges are:
- Kim Chin ’83, a biotechnology entrepreneur and executive from North Carolina
- Kristin Luck ’98, a marketing and media entrepreneur from Bend, Oregon
- Nitin Rai, a venture capitalist and technology entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon
- Michelle Tinsley ’92, a technology entrepreneur and executive from Phoenix, Arizona
- Anthony Rodio ’87, a serial technology entrepreneur and executive from Silicon Valley, California
Live stream links will be posted on the NVC website as they become available.
—Nathan Lillegard, Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship