📋 Coach's Corner: October 2021
Don't FALL behind and miss $100K worth of startup grants this October
The emerging Halloween decor, the start of the MLB Postseason, and the eternal stream of mid-terms … wait … could it be … Fall?
Now that we’ve been in Fall semester for over a month, it’s finally starting to feel like the season. In all the seasonal change, don’t let these fast-approaching student startup opportunities pass you by!
October is jampacked with opportunities from big names - such as Amazon & Red Bull - that you will absolutely not want to miss.
A BIG ask from me to all my University E-Ship staff folks: please spread the good word and forward these opportunities to your students. As the school year goes on, I will be sharing millions of dollars of grant funding available to student entrepreneurs, in addition to other accelerator programs, jobs/internship opportunities, and my own student startup spotlights. These are the types of resources that can set student entrepreneurs on the trajectory to become full-time founders. For that reason, I just want to make sure as many student entrepreneurs as possible are aware of these opportunities.
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Without further adieu, let’s get into a fresh batch of grant funding opportunities to jumpstart Fall.
Table of Contents
💰 Student Funding Opportunities
🔦 Community Spotlight
📋 Coach’s Content
💼 Internships/Jobs Board
🌯 Wrap-Up and Feedback (quick link)
💰 Student Funding Opportunities
Check out this non-exhaustive list of funding opportunities that are accepting applications RIGHT NOW. These are only the ones that most - if not all - university entrepreneurs are eligible for. Definitely check in with your own university e-ship center to see if there are any specific opportunities available to you.
Baylor New Venture Competition
Eligibility: Any currently enrolled university or college student, as well as recent alumni (May 2020 or later)
Grant Funding:
First Place - $50,000
Second Place - $25,000
Third Place - $10,000
Amazon US University Startup Competition
Eligibility: At least one founder must be affiliated with an institution of higher learning located in the U.S. (i.e. student, faculty, staff at a university). Those taking leaves of absence are welcome.
Grant Funding:
$20K cash + up to $100K in AWS credits
$10K cash + up to $100K in AWS credits
$5K cash + up to $100K in AWS credits
VentureWell E-Team Program
Eligibility: Currently-enrolled students working on a science or engineering based venture.
Grant Funding: Up to $25,000 in grant funding between Stage 1 & 2.
Red Bull Basement
While Red Bull Basement doesn’t provide any set amount of cash/grant prizes, it can be a great opportunity to network with some high-powered mentors and organizations. A student I worked with two years ago made it to the finals of this competition and he couldn’t stop singing the praises about all of the doors it opened for him personally.
Here’s a Red Bull-provided description below:
Red Bull Basement empowers student innovators in all areas of study to kickstart their ideas using technology to drive positive change. The aim is to connect and inspire all students to constructively challenge the status quo and make positive impacts, now and for the future. You don’t have to be an entrepreneur or an inventor to join – everyone is invited to the brainstorm. The climax is a Global Final, where finalist teams bring their ideas to life for a pitch to global judges. Along the way are opportunities for networking, expert mentoring, and more.
Rolling Opportunity: Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards
The 2021-2022 GSEA competition season is open!
Essentially, they have a bunch of qualifier pitch competitions around the country that vary by your region. So check out the application schedule below and make sure you hit your closest city’s deadline! Most of them are November - January 2022, so the clock is ticking.
There’s a $50K prize pool up for grabs, not to mention mentorship, expanded networks, and media exposure from one of the largest entrepreneurs organizations in the world, you know, Entrepreneurs’ Organization.
🔦 Community Spotlight
Occasionally I get requests to share promotional items that would be a good fit for my audience of university entrepreneurship staff and student startups. If its a beneficial opportunity, I’m happy to spread the word. If you’re interested promoting something in an upcoming newsletter, you can do so through the button below.
Entrepreneurship in the Wild: A Startup Field Guide by Felipe Massa
Over the summer I had the pleasure of chatting with Felipe Massa - Loyola University, New Orleans’ Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development. It was clear from his vast experience as an entrepreneur and professor of practice, he could write a playbook on how college students (and anybody, really) could start their own venture.
So … he did. And that playbook was just published by Penguin Random House!
I highly encourage you to check out Entrepreneurship in the Wild: A Startup Field Guide whether you’re a student entrepreneur or e-ship center folk. There’s guaranteed to be nuggets of wisdom in every page.
Want to become a published author in under a year?
If you’re inspired by Felipe’s book publication and are thinking, “Dang … I should really work on that book I’ve got floating around in my head”, have I got the perfect opportunity for you.
Georgetown professor Eric Koester has developed a phenomenally successful program called Creator Institute in which he has helped 800+ students and working professionals publish their own book over the last four years. As a GU alum myself, I’ve heard wonderful things from friends who are now published authors.
As a heads up, accepted participants into the program will need to pay dues of $999, most of which will go towards the cost of a professional development editor.
This community-centered program is open to anyone around the country and has a fast approaching deadline of October 15th. You must schedule a call with Eric by that date. Take a look at the short application here and click the link below for the full Fall 2021 Creator Institute Info Packet.
Applications for Halcyon Incubator Fellowships are open!
Halcyon is committed to championing and uplifting the global social impact ecosystem. Based in Washington, D.C., Halcyon offers Fellowships designed to equip early-stage social entrepreneurs, from around the world, with tools and relationships they need to achieve scalable, lasting impact.
Halcyon’s fellowships are provided free of charge and no equity is taken in exchange for the fellowship. Since 2014 Halcyon’s fellowships have helped global founders raise $180M+, create 2,350+ jobs, and positively impact 2.7M+ lives.
Early stage social entrepreneurs (Idea to ~$500,000 USD in annual revenue) can apply for Halcyon’s Flagship Residential Fellowship, Africa Intensive Fellowship, and Opportunity Intensive Fellowship.
Deadline is October 8th.
📋 Coach’s Content
Last month I published an interview I had with Rick Robinson - VP of Product & Startup Engagement for AARP Innovation Labs - about the wide world of AgeTech. We weren’t just talking about IoT pill dispensers. AgeTech cross-cuts all types of industries and fields - from AR/VR to crypto to wearable technologies.
If you want a better understanding of what exactly AgeTech is, and how this massive market might apply to whatever you’re building, you can revisit our interview below.
💼 Internships/Jobs Board
Accelerated Launches New Jobs/Internships Board for Students
I’ve often linked to Accelerated - the newsletter run by VC twins Justine & Olivia Moore - for jobs/internships that are great fits for students. And now the Moores have an even more exciting way to sift through startup jobs/internships! They recently launched a filterable jobs board on Pallet which allows use to search by job position, experience level, and location (including remote). And once you’re interested in a position, Accelerated provides info about the startups’ industry, size, and what they’re looking for. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with their new jobs board below.
🌯 And that’s a wrap
Thank you to everyone who made it to the not-so-bitter end of this newsletter. I’d love to know what you think of it. If you feel so inclined, please take a minute to submit a (very brief) feedback form to help this take shape.
Till next time.
- Kevin “Coach” Carter