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Sponsorship

Featured partner placement

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

Pitch CompetitionEquity takenVerified

Cozad New Venture Challenge

Also known as: Cozad NVC, Cozad

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, Illinois

See every program at University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignFind your best fit

Quick fit check

  • Takes equity
  • Currently active
  • Verified by research

Key numbers

Funding range

—

Equity

Equity taken

Application

Annual

Institution Wide

Last activity

2026-04-17

High confidence

Known startups and winners

Competition winners and notable student ventures from our research.

See every startup

Mesh++

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Competition winner

Solar-powered mesh broadband nodes; Cozad New Venture Challenge winner and Illinois Ventures portfolio company (UIUC).

Sun King

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Notable alumni outcome

Off-grid solar energy products for emerging markets ($2.5B valuation); Cozad New Venture Challenge alumnus (UIUC).

Trala

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Competition winner

AI-powered violin/music learning platform; Cozad New Venture Challenge winner and iVenture Accelerator participant (UIUC).

UncertIA

$125,000

prize won

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Competition winner

AI-powered energy management; $125,000 winner at Cozad New Venture Challenge 2026, with a SAFE from Pear VC (UIUC).

Cozad New Venture Challenge

Illinois' largest venture creation program. Semester-long competition guiding teams through venture creation from idea validation to investor pitching. Open to all UIUC students since 2000.

Key Details

  • Founded: 2000
  • Total awarded: $5M+ since 2000
  • 2026 awards: $700K+ (record), first $100K grand prize
  • Tracks (2026): Healthcare Transformation, Technology, CPG, Online/Multi-Industry
  • Participants: 350+ teams, 900+ students (2026); 4,600+ since 2000
  • Judges: 320+ judges and mentors (2025)

Process

Semester-long program with workshops, mentorship, Demo Day (~200 teams pitching to ~300 judges), and Finals.

Notable Winners

Sun King ($2.5B valuation), Trala, Mesh++, UncertIA