The Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship is excited to share some big news: GSE has selected five Bootcamp startups to compete in the 2025 Collegiate Pitch at Thomas Moore University on March 1st!
Through its Collegiate Pitch competition, The Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs (GSE) encourages innovation and entrepreneurship by engaging students from Kentucky’s colleges and universities with an opportunity to develop and pursue their business ideas. The competition rewards Business Models judged by an independent panel as the most innovative and complete, and the most likely to result in successful ventures that create new jobs for Kentuckians. The Collegiate Pitch consists of two tracks:
An Exploratory Track for newly formed ideas, and a Developed Track for more advanced ventures and existing companies.
Exploratory Track:
- DocAI - University of Kentucky, College of Arts & Sciences, Lewis Honors College
- NeuroVista - University of Kentucky, College of Engineering
- Handy Hat - University of Kentucky, College of Engineering
- PRLZ Extracts - University of Kentucky, College of Engineering and Gatton College of Business & Economics
- Shifting
- Outside Line Media
- Cyber Sentry Squad
- G&E Solutions
- Pantasia
Developed Track:
- RAM Devices - University of Kentucky, College of Engineering
- Jet Ski 502
- Due Gooder
- Doza
- Core Precision Lawns
- Culinary HR
- nüks nootropics
Collegiate Pitch has two rounds:
(1) a Business Model submission,
(2) a pitch during the final event.
Up to 16 teams will be chosen based on the judging results from the Business Model submission, and only those teams advance to the second round of the Collegiate Pitch competition. Typically, there will be up to 8 teams for each Track, but this can vary based on the submissions.
The final event culminates with an awards presentation where judges determine the winners of the following cash prizes. Final Competition Awards Competition prizes are scaled to provide larger prize packages for existing ventures, or those that are more developed and closer to commercialization.
Smaller prize packages are awarded for Business Models or ideas in earlier stages of development.
Developed Business Track Prizes:
1st Place: $15,000
2nd Place: $7,000
3rd Place: $5,000
Exploratory Business Track Prizes:
1st Place: $5,000
2nd Place: $4,000
3rd Place: $3,000
The GSE Bonus Bump Any team that places 1st, 2nd, or 3rd will receive an extra $1000 “bump up” in their award amount if they have an alum from the GSE Summer Startup program as a team member. The total Bonus Bump per team is $1000 regardless of how many GSE alums are on the team.
2025 COMPETITION TIMELINE
March 1, 2025, 10:00 AM ET: The 2025 Collegiate Pitch Final Event at Thomas Moore University
QUESTIONS? CONTACT US
Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs at info@kentuckygse.com