Cozad New Venture Challenge
About the program
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.
Also known as: Cozad NVC, Cozad
Key numbers
Funding range
Not listed
Funding available
Equity
Equity taken
Application
Annual
Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, Faculty, Alumni · Institution Wide
Last activity
2026-04-17
Active
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Student experiences · Read or add a note
Student notes
Cozad New Venture Challenge
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Startups
Mesh++
Solar-powered mesh broadband nodes; Cozad New Venture Challenge winner and Illinois Ventures portfolio company (UIUC).
Sun King
Off-grid solar energy products for emerging markets ($2.5B valuation); Cozad New Venture Challenge alumnus (UIUC).
Trala
Grand prize and 1st place at the 2017 Cozad New Venture Challenge ($15,000); later raised a $1.29 million seed from Origin Ventures and Techstars.
UncertIA
AI-powered energy management; $125,000 winner at Cozad New Venture Challenge 2026, with a SAFE from Pear VC (UIUC).
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News & articles
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2017 Cozad New Venture Challenge winners
Landuyt Center (then the Technology Entrepreneur Center) announcement of the 2017 Cozad New Venture Competition winners, published May 1, 2017. Trala won 1st place and the $15,000 grand prize in the Non-University Resourced Track. This note replaces the 2026 Cozad program page as Trala's source.
Read on University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Cozad New Venture Challenge 2026
Cozad New Venture Challenge official program pages. Details on the 26th annual competition including record $700K+ in prizes, first $100K grand prize, 350+ teams, and 900+ students (2026).
Read on University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Landuyt Center for Entrepreneurship at UIUC
Landuyt Center for Entrepreneurship official website (formerly Technology Entrepreneur Center). $20M+ endowment from Richard and Gayle Landuyt. Houses Cozad NVC, ILEE dual-degree, certificates, and TE 598 deep tech accelerator.
Read on University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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