The campus field guide
University of Illinois Chicago
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Inside this ecosystem · 2 linked sources
The University of Illinois Chicago is a public research university. The UIC Innovation Center and UIC Business run Spark Series, a campus-wide entrepreneurship sequence whose spring anchor is the Blaze Venture Challenge.
Include. UIC has a current campus-wide student venture sequence with a documented 2026 pitch final..
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
2
All currently active
Top direct funding
$5,000
Blaze Venture Challenge
Equity
Equity terms unknown
Program mix
2
Pitch Competition · Entrepreneurship Center
Programs to explore
Compare funding, equity, and timing before you apply.
2 programs indexed
Pitch Competition
Blaze Venture Challenge
Pitch Competition$5,000
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-04-14
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students
- Verification
- Partially Verified
Entrepreneurship Center
UIC Spark Series
Entrepreneurship Center—
funding range
- Last activity
- —
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students
- Verification
- Partially Verified
From students
Be the first student from University of Illinois Chicago to post a startup.
Post a startupFunding and Equity
A UIC Today story on the 2026 Blaze finals says top honors carried prizes worth up to $5,000. The story does not break out each place or state equity terms. Flashpoint prize amounts were not on the Spark Series page.
Recent Activity
UIC Today reported the fourth annual Blaze Venture Challenge on April 14, 2026, at Student Center East. Nearly 80 students from seven colleges submitted 31 ideas, and eight ventures pitched live. The Spark Series page lists Demo Day for February 25, 2026.
Known Startups and Winners
Named winners were not published on the official pages captured for this listing.
Research gaps & things to verify
Missing Information
- Named 2026 Blaze winners were not in the captured story.
- Equity terms and the full prize table are not stated.
- Flashpoint award amounts are not stated.
More about this ecosystem
University of Illinois Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago is a public research university. The UIC Innovation Center and UIC Business run Spark Series, a campus-wide entrepreneurship sequence whose spring anchor is the Blaze Venture Challenge.
This page is a researched public listing compiled from official university sources. It is unclaimed and has not been verified by the school.
News & articles
2 news articles and official sources documenting entrepreneurship programs, winners, and activity at University of Illinois Chicago.
2 sources
Official sources(2)
University of Illinois Chicago
Blaze Venture Challenge
The Blaze Venture Challenge is UIC's campus-wide pitch competition for early-stage, student-led ventures, run by UIC Innovation with UIC Business. It is the spring culmination of Spark Series.
Read on University of Illinois Chicago
University of Illinois Chicago
UIC Spark Series
Spark Series is UIC's open program for students who want to learn entrepreneurship by building. The Innovation Center page says it welcomes undergraduate and graduate students from every major and supports startups, small businesses, side hustles, nonprofits, and passion projects.
Read on University of Illinois Chicago
University of Illinois Chicago has a public page built from sources. If a detail is wrong, students still see it.
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