Startup Competitions

Idea Challenges encourage students and creative problem solvers to develop unique business solutions to particular consumer pain points.

Each idea challenge is centered on solving a singular market problem; however,  some challenges may allow for open submission where students can propose market problems they have encountered and the business solution they believe will best solve that problem.

Winning ideas will be offered the opportunity to develop a business around that proposed solution, receiving limited prototype funding, technical consulting via Creator Labs, business consulting via Startup OU, and legal counseling via the OU Entrepreneurial Law Center. 

Startup Showcase is a semiannual expo event featuring emerging startups and other entrepreneurial projects from academic and non-academic entrepreneurship-focused programs at the University of Oklahoma and across the state. 

Startup Showcase is the University of Oklahoma's opportunity to highlight the groundbreaking startups emerging from the university and other partner institutions while bringing together a community of supporters—comprising local entrepreneurs, university mentors and partners, university leadership and administration, municipal leadership, chambers of commerce, investors and community organizations—to champion the next generation of founders.

Since launching the competition, Startup OU has awarded more than $40,000 in non-dilutive funding awards to competing startups for prototype development and team expansion.

Startup OU holds an annual venture pitch competition that awards a series of seed funding awards to competing startups. The competition is supplemented by hands-on mentorship to competing startups, as well as pitch deck and executive summary review.

The competition is intended to attract startups from across Oklahoma, regardless of affiliation with the university, accommodating between 30-50 startups per competition cycle.