Mark Ain Business Model Competition
About the program · 1 linked sources
Fall semester business model competition established in 2007. Open to all UR students. Made possible by Mark S. Ain '67S (MBA), founder of Kronos Incorporated. Total prize pool of $13,500. Priority given to ventures that have not yet generated revenue. Students must be enrolled in the Ain Foundry Program to compete.
Also known as: Mark Ain Competition
How we know this: the figures on this page come from the linked sources (last verified 2026-06-23); what those sources do not state is left unknown.
Key numbers
Funding range
$13,500
Non Dilutive Grant
Equity
None
Application
Annual
Campus Wide
Last activity
2025-11-08
High confidence
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Mark Ain Business Model Competition
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Mark Ain Business Model Competition
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Application and Timing
Annual fall cycle. Submission deadline November 1. Up to 5 finalists selected. Final pitch in Hoyt Auditorium.
Participants
All UR undergraduate and graduate students. Non-UR students may be on team but prize money reserved for UR students. Must NOT have generated revenue.
Funding and Equity
$13,500 total. Non-dilutive. No equity taken.
Recent Activity
- November 2025: Competition held with Scyntek (1st), VivoFlux (2nd), Convort (3rd).
- 2007-present: Continuous annual operation.
- 2026 cycle: Announced for fall 2026.
Known Startups or Winners
- Scyntek (Karthik Ramakrishnan) — 1st Place 2025.
- VivoFlux (Kaihua Chen, Isabelle Linares, Azmeer Sharipol) — 2nd Place 2025.
- Convort (Hashem Alomari) — 3rd Place 2025.
Research gaps & things to verify
Verification Gaps
- Prize distribution breakdown (1st/2nd/3rd amounts not specified).
- Historical winners beyond 2025.
- Number of applicants per cycle.
Program details
Mark Ain Business Model Competition
Additional research notesShow
Evidence
- 2026-06-23-rochester-ain-center
- University of Rochester Entrepreneurship Research Report
News & articles
News articles and official sources documenting Mark Ain Business Model Competition at University of Rochester.
1 source
Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Official Pages
University of Rochester
University of Rochester
Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Official Pages
Five captures: Ain Center home page, Forbes Competition page (2026 winners, prizes, schedule), Mark Ain Competition page ($13.5K, 2025 winners, revenue restriction), e5 Program page (tuition-free fifth year), and Ain Center student incubator at NextCorps.
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