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The campus field guide

University of California, Irvine

Irvine, CA·University
Explore 4 programs ↓Official campus site ↗

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Inside this ecosystem · 3 linked sources

UC Irvine supports student founders through the Paul Merage School's Beall Center, the Stella Zhang New Venture Competition, and the ANTrepreneur Center. The competition page publishes a per-track prize schedule, a May 20, 2027 finale, and 2026 winners. The ANTrepreneur Center offers free coaching to undergraduates.

This page is compiled from public university and program pages. It has not been claimed or corrected by the school.

Include. UC Irvine has a current campus pitch competition with published prizes and 2026 winners, plus free undergraduate coaching.

How we know this: the figures on this page come from the linked sources (last verified 2026-10-08); what those sources do not state is left unknown.

At a glance

Indexed programs

4

All currently active

Top direct funding

Direct funding available

Equity

Mixed equity terms

Program mix

3

Entrepreneurship Center · Pitch Competition · Academic Program

Programs to explore

Compare funding, equity, and timing before you apply.

4 programs indexed

Pitch Competition

Stella Zhang New Venture Competition

Pitch Competition
Official site

Also: Stella Zhang NVC, UCI New Venture Competition

—

funding range

Direct fundingEquity variesannualActive
Last activity
2026-10-08
Participants
Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
Verification
Partially Verified

Entrepreneurship Center

ANTrepreneur Center

Entrepreneurship Center
Official site

Also: UCI ANTrepreneur Center

—

funding range

No fundingEquity variesrollingActive
Last activity
2026-10-08
Participants
Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
Verification
Partially Verified

Academic Program

From students

Be the first student from University of California, Irvine to post a startup.

Post a startup
Founders at this school

Funding and Equity

The competition page says teams compete for over $100,000. Track first place is $10,000, track runner-up is $5,000, the grand prize is $20,000, and the finale runner-up prize is $5,000. The Beall homepage says $100,000 in cash prizes. The competition page says participants own their idea entirely and does not state a university equity stake. ANTrepreneur coaching is free and does not list a grant.

Recent Activity

On October 8, 2026, the competition page listed a kick-off on October 27, 2026, and published 2026 winners. Coaching was bookable. Several interim competition deadlines were marked TBD.

Known Startups and Winners

The 2026 grand prize winner named on the competition page is Pipeline, which also won its track. Other named 2026 award recipients include Simly, RestWing, PAQQ, CuraVoice, LAMON, NeuroStrat, BrickCycle, Abner Computing, and Ascend First.

Research gaps & things to verify

Missing Information

Wayfinder is named, but current incubator terms were not captured. The homepage prize total and the competition page total are not identical. ANTrepreneur equity terms and any coaching grant are unstated. The undergraduate certificate is a competition-plus-courses credential for two business majors and is not a separate note.

University of California, Irvine has a public page built from sources. If a detail is wrong, students still see it.

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