UndergradVCCampus startup funding, verified and compared
Sign in

Sponsorship

Featured partner placement

Sponsor University of Central Florida once and your brand appears on the University of Central Florida page and across every one of its programs and student-startup pages — not just this page.

University of Central Florida logo

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida·University

Visit official siteFind your best fit
Pitch competitionsIncubator

At a glance

Indexed programs

17

17 currently active

Top direct funding

No direct cash prizes indexed

Equity

Mixed equity terms

Program mix

10

Small Business Center · Coaching · Incubator

Research verdict

Research in progress.

Programs to explore

Compare funding, equity, and timing before you apply.

17 programs indexed

Pitch Competition

UCF Ideas Tournament

Pitch Competition

Also: UCF Ideas Tournament

—

funding range

Equity unknownannual (September)Active
Last activity
2026-07-01
Participants
All UCF students
Verification
Verified

UCF Innovation Tournament

Pitch Competition

Also: UCF Innovation Tournament

—

funding range

Equity unknownannual (October November)Active
Last activity
2025-11-02
Participants
All UCF students
Verification
Verified

UCF Joust New Venture Championship

Pitch Competition

Also: Joust, UCF Joust

—

funding range

Equity unknownannual (Spring)Active
Last activity
2026-04-17
Participants
All UCF students
Verification
Verified

UCF LaunchPad Ideas Competition

Pitch Competition

Also: LaunchPad Ideas Competition

—

funding range

Equity unknownannual (September October)Active
Last activity
2026-07-01
Participants
All UCF students (undergraduate and graduate)
Verification
Verified

Academic Program

UCF Entrepreneurship Certificate (Undergraduate)

Academic Program

Also: UCF Entrepreneurship Certificate

—

funding range

Equity unknownongoingActive
Last activity
2026-07-01
Participants
UCF undergraduate students (all majors)
Verification
Verified

UCF Entrepreneurship Major (BSBA)

Academic Program

Also: BSBA Entrepreneurship, UCF Entrepreneurship Major

—

funding range

Equity unknownongoingActive
Last activity
2026-07-01
Participants
UCF undergraduate students
Verification
Verified

UCF Entrepreneurship Minor

Academic Program

Also: UCF Entrepreneurship Minor

—

funding range

Equity unknownongoingActive
Last activity
2026-07-01
Participants
UCF undergraduate students (all majors)
Verification
Verified

UCF Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship

Academic Program

Also: UCF Graduate Entrepreneurship Certificate

—

funding range

Equity unknownFall (July 1), Spring (November 1)Active
Last activity
2026-07-01
Participants
Graduate students
Verification
Verified

UCF MSM Entrepreneurship Track

Academic Program

Also: UCF MSM Entrepreneurship, PMSM/ENT

—

funding range

Equity unknownongoingActive
Last activity
2026-07-01
Participants
Graduate students, working professionals
Verification
Verified

Known startups and winners

Competition winners and notable student ventures from our research.

See every startup

Capacitech Energy

University of Central Florida · UCF NSF I-Corps Site

Notable alumni outcome

UCF alumni supercapacitor startup (Joe Sleppy '18); Forbes 30 Under 30 2026, $2.5M raised.

Luminar Technologies

University of Central Florida · UCF Business Incubation Program

Notable alumni outcome

UCF alumni-founded lidar company (Jason Eichenholz); $3.4B SPAC merger, Nasdaq LAZR, HQ in UCF Research Park.

Relativity Networks

University of Central Florida · UCF Office of Technology Transfer

Faculty spinout

UCF faculty-linked hollow-core fiber optics startup for AI data centers (Jason Eichenholz + Prof. Rodrigo Amezcua Correa).

Soarce

University of Central Florida

Notable alumni outcome

UCF alumni advanced materials venture (Derek Saltzman '23, Mason Mincey '23); Forbes 30 Under 30 2026.

ZuLeris Interactive

University of Central Florida

Student venture

UCF digital twin defense tech startup (Zack Zuniga, Liam Etan '24); E4D program graduate.

The University of Central Florida is Florida's largest university (~70,000 students) and a metropolitan public research university in Orlando. Its entrepreneurship ecosystem is anchored by the **Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL)** at the College of Business for student-facing programming and the **UCF Business Incubation Program (UCFBIP)** for community incubation. The ecosystem is unified under the emerging **UCF Innovate** umbrella (established 2024 via $6M NSF ART grant), which coordinates OTT, CEL, BIP, and the new Venture Lab.

Ecosystem Overview

  • Student hub: Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) at College of Business, Cameron Ford (founding director) — coordinates Blackstone LaunchPad, UpStarts Accelerator, Joust Challenge, and academic programs
  • Coaching & mentoring: Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars — free coaching in Student Union, 1,200-1,500 students/year, ~3,500 appointments/year, $5K Fellowship grants, national showcase up to $75K
  • Student accelerator: UpStarts Student Venture Accelerator — free office space, advanced mentoring, cohort structure, Student Starter Award ($500), path to UCFBIP
  • Pitch competitions: Joust Entrepreneurship Challenge (year-long series: Ideas Tournament $5K → Innovation Tournament $15K → Joust New Venture Championship ~$50K), LaunchPad Ideas Competition ($4K)
  • Incubation: UCF Business Incubation Program (since 1999) — 8 facilities, 300+ companies, $120M+ revenue (2023), 1,000+ employees, Traction Phase, Soft Landing Program, Andromeda Ventures partnership (2026)
  • Research commercialization: Office of Technology Transfer — 57 patents (2023), 90 issued (2025), 140 disclosures, 61 licenses; UCF Venture Lab ($6M NSF ART); UCF Innovate umbrella
  • Entrepreneurial training: NSF I-Corps Site (Florida's first, since 2014) — 38+ companies, $1.5M+ raised, themed cohorts across AI/cybersecurity/robotics/sustainability
  • VC partnership: Andromeda Ventures (2026) — dual-use technology focus, venture pipeline development, Soft Landing access
  • Academic programs: BSBA Entrepreneurship major (College of Business), Entrepreneurship Minor (all majors), Undergraduate Certificate, MSM Entrepreneurship Track, Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship
  • Small business support: FSBDC at UCF — 2026 National SBDC of the Year, serves 8 counties, free consulting

Known Startups

  • Luminar Technologies — Jason Eichenholz, lidar, $3.4B SPAC/Nasdaq LAZR
  • Capacitech Energy — Joe Sleppy, supercapacitors, Forbes 30 Under 30 2026, $2.5M raised
  • Soarce — Derek Saltzman, Mason Mincey, advanced materials, Forbes 30 Under 30 2026
  • Relativity Networks — Jason Eichenholz + Prof. Amezcua Correa, hollow core fiber optics for AI data centers
  • ZuLeris Interactive — Zack Zuniga, digital twin defense tech, E4D program graduate

Assessment

Recommendation: Include Tier: 2 Confidence: Medium Key Factors: Strong, well-established ecosystem with mature community incubation (since 1999, 300+ companies, $120M+ revenue in 2023), solid student programming (CEL, Blackstone LaunchPad, UpStarts), growing commercialization infrastructure ($6M NSF ART, Venture Lab, I-Corps Site, 57 patents/year), recent VC partnership (Andromeda Ventures 2026), major pitch comp ($50K Joust), and notable alumni startups (Luminar $3.4B, Capacitech/Soarce Forbes 30U30). No dedicated student venture fund. Approaching Tier 1 territory with major recent investments ($6M ART, UCF Innovate umbrella).

News & articles

16 news articles and official sources documenting entrepreneurship programs, winners, and activity at University of Central Florida.

16 sources

News & articles(6)

Official sources(9)

This profile lists 17 programs for University of Central Florida. Some details may be outdated until a director verifies them.

Claim & correct this page·Takes about 5 minutes — no payment required.