Global Venture Challenge • April 2-4, 2008

Global Venture Challenge 2008 is an educational event designed to foster entrepreneurial spirit by engaging students, industry, government and the investment community in the discovery and development of innovative ideas.  The ultimate goal is to encourage students to launch new technology-based businesses that can improve the well-being of the world. Specific areas of interest include Bioenergy, and Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energies.
  
Global Venture Challenge 2008 builds on a successful event held at Oak Ridge last year that focused on nanotechnology. Fifteen interdisciplinary graduate school teams from the U.S. and the United Kingdom presented business ideas and competed for a $25,000 cash prize.  Additionally, nanotechnology investors met with start-up companies from across the southeastern U.S.

The focus of this year’s event is on energy, one of the world’s most critical issues. Graduate school teams from across the globe are being recruited to develop unique and innovative product ideas that can solve existing market needs and have the potential to become sustainable businesses. We will again utilize the Idea to Product ® competition model, which identifies market-viable technologies faster than traditional business plan competitions.  Team submissions will be judged by diverse panels consisting of experienced energy executives, venture capitalists, technologists, entrepreneurs and the legal profession. 

Another feature of the event is the Energy Venture Showcase which highlights selected start-up companies and gives them the opportunity to interact with industry and the investment community.  Not only will these companies receive valuable advice for furthering their businesses, but entrepreneurial students will see first-hand what will be required of them as they launch their businesses. 

The Global Venture Challenge 2008 will be hosted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a world-leader in energy research, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  All participants will learn more about ORNL’s capabilities in both research and applied science and can tour the most advanced scientific facilities in the world.  It’s a perfect setting to find every resource needed to do collaborative research and development, manufacture prototypes, support new business start-ups or build full-scale manufacturing facilities.  In one place – from conception to marketplace – everything in the revolution of energy is here.

At this event, you’ll be able to:

• Gain access to the world's newest facilities and leading researchers in energy
• Meet future entrepreneurial leaders from stellar graduate schools as they compete in an energy business competition
  
• Get an early look at some exciting new energy companies and learn what venture capitalists expect from them
  
• Develop a network of energy "problem solvers" and potential partners
  
• Tour the state-of-the-art facilities of the nation’s largest science and energy laboratory

Who will be attending Global Venture Challenge 2008?

• Leading energy researchers from ORNL and world-class universities
• Industry research organizations and business leaders investigating energy solutions
• Energy start-up companies offering new and innovative products and services
• Venture capitalists and angel investors looking for the next breakthrough company
• Entrepreneurial graduate students proposing energy-based products
  
  
  * Idea to Product and I2P are registered trademarks of The University of Texas.