Entrepreneurship
Batten Institute - Entrepreneurship - Funding & Competitions
Funding & Competitions
University of Virginia faculty, staff, students and alumni have access to a range of funding sources that support venture teams across all stages — from prototype to growth capital. The primary sources of funding include: competitions, accelerator programs, angel groups and venture funds, as well as University, state, and federal translational research funds.
Competitions
The Batten Institute supports student participation in several pan-University entrepreneurship competitions and programs each year which award more than $500,000 in grants and investments.
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UVA Entrepreneurship Cup "E-Cup"
The University of Virginia Entrepreneurship Cup (ECUP), provides a total of $100,000 in awards across all three stages of the competition: Concept, Discovery, and Launch. The E-Cup is open to all UVA undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
View the 2024-25 Competition Finalists and Winners.
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Venture Capital Investment Competition "VCIC"
Learn to think like a venture capitalist by competing in the VCIC, an annual international venture capital competition run by UNC Kenan-Flagler.
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Batten Strategic Competition Initiative
The Batten Institute sponsors a qualified number of student teams to attend certain strategic competitions in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Darden students can access the link to eligibility and guidelines.
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Galant Challenge
The Galant Challenge is organized by the McIntire School of Commerce. It connects ventures from the UVA community with potential investors. This exciting event has successfully funded ventures with more than $2 million in capital, in just the past few years alone.
The University of Virginia Entrepreneurship Cup (ECUP), provides a total of $100,000 in awards across all three stages of the competition: Concept, Discovery, and Launch. The E-Cup is open to all UVA undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
View the 2024-25 Competition Finalists and Winners.
Learn to think like a venture capitalist by competing in the VCIC, an annual international venture capital competition run by UNC Kenan-Flagler.
The Batten Institute sponsors a qualified number of student teams to attend certain strategic competitions in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Darden students can access the link to eligibility and guidelines.
The Galant Challenge is organized by the McIntire School of Commerce. It connects ventures from the UVA community with potential investors. This exciting event has successfully funded ventures with more than $2 million in capital, in just the past few years alone.
Grants
Financial support provided by the Batten Institute to students and alumni for entrepreneurial-based endeavors.
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Batten Innovation Grants (Students)
Batten Innovation Grants provide direct financial support to student-led, early-stage entrepreneurial projects. Currently enrolled Darden students in the Residential, Executive, and Part-Time MBA formats may apply. Grant funds may only be used for expenses directly related to developing an entrepreneurial idea or new venture.
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Batten Founder Fellows Program (Alumni)
Batten Founder Fellows (BFFs) is a new program which encourages graduating Darden student founders who worked on promising ventures during their MBA to continue on the founder path by supporting their entrepreneurial journeys post-graduation.
Batten Innovation Grants provide direct financial support to student-led, early-stage entrepreneurial projects. Currently enrolled Darden students in the Residential, Executive, and Part-Time MBA formats may apply. Grant funds may only be used for expenses directly related to developing an entrepreneurial idea or new venture.
Batten Founder Fellows (BFFs) is a new program which encourages graduating Darden student founders who worked on promising ventures during their MBA to continue on the founder path by supporting their entrepreneurial journeys post-graduation.
i.Lab Incubator Program
A signature initiative of the Batten Institute, this application-based summer incubator supports UVA founders committed to building and growing early-stage ventures they want to see in the world with cohort-based strategic operational, legal, mentoring and financial support.
More Funding Resources
Programs
- The NSF i-Corps program introduces scientists and engineers to real-world, hands-on training that helps move ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace. Program participants can apply for up to $2,700 in grant funding to conduct customer discovery, market research or purchase supplies to create a prototype. Successful teams become eligible to apply for the NSF National I-Corps Program, an intensive seven-week program that provides up to $50,000 in grant funding.
- i.Lab Incubator at UVA Darden is open to early-stage ventures with a focus upon MVP and initial market development. The program provides up to $10,000 in grant funding, dedicated workspace, mentorship, workshops, legal support, and other resources for current students, faculty and staff at UVA.
- 434 is a long-format accelerator, providing high-potential startups in central Virginia with at least nine months of program support, including: $20,000 in grant funding, dedicated workspace, experienced founders-in-residence, monthly programming, a large network of industry experts, and access to nearly $50,000 in additional resources.
Angel Groups and Venture Funds
Structured within the UVA Licensing & Ventures Group, the $10 million UVA LVG Seed Fund is uniquely positioned to assess new ventures created from UVA research ideas and discoveries.
The Charlottesville Angel Network (CAN), with a membership of greater than 70 accredited investors, puts their skills, connections and capital to work to help entrepreneurs succeed. In addition to CAN, a range of regional angel groups and state-funded funds invest in early stage companies across and beyond the state: CIT Gap Funds, 757 Angels, Central Virginia Angels, Shenandoah Valley Angels, Launchplace, and others.
According to Crunchbase, there are nearly 100 venture funds in Virginia, with most firms located in greater Washington, D.C. Firms in Central Virginia include: NRV, Trolley and Riverflow. Statewide, firms include: New Enterprise Associates, Grotech, Revolution Ventures, Route 66 Ventures, QED, In-Q-Tel and others.
Translational and Commercialization Funds
- The Coulter Translational Partnership program promotes, develops and supports translational research collaborations between biomedical engineers and clinicians in order to accelerate the successful translation of appropriate innovations to improve patient care.
- The Biomedical Innovation Fund was created by The Ivy Foundation to support biomedical innovation and translational research projects.
- 3 Cavaliers is a rapid seed-funding program that enables creative, collaborative and consequential research ideas.
- The Commonwealth Commercialization Fund as well as the CCF Matching Funds program advance science and technology-based research, development, and commercialization to drive economic growth in Virginia, create and foster high-potential technology companies in the Commonwealth, as well as encourage and strengthen collaboration between the public and private sector.