The Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis awarded $33,000 in funding to six student-founded startups Nov. 19 at its fall Venture Competition.
Altogether, 131 teams featuring undergraduate and graduate students and alumni from all nine schools entered this semester’s competition, smashing previous records and demonstrating the entrepreneurial spirit of WashU’s student body, said II Luscri, managing director of the Skandalaris Center and assistant vice provost for innovation and entrepreneurship. The funding pool for this cycle of the venture competition increased thanks to a donation from WashU benefactor Bob Skandalaris.
Over the last semester, 16 finalist teams advanced their concepts, connected with mentors, attended workshops and refined their pitches. A panel of experts judged the pitches based on their identified problem and solution, value proposition, financial models, traction and other key factors. Read more about the winning teams on the Skandalaris Center blog.
Applications for the next cycle of the Skandalaris Venture Competition will open in early January. All current WashU students and WashU alumni within one year of graduation with an early-stage venture or idea are encouraged to apply.
