Dempsey Startup Competition
About the program · 1 linked sources
The Dempsey Startup Competition, run by the Buerk Center, is a multi-stage new-venture competition. Teams need at least one student enrolled in a degree program at an accredited college in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, or Alaska. The page says non-business students may enter. It reports 29 years of the competition, more than $2.90 million awarded to 250-plus student companies, and more than 7,900 student participants.
Also known as: Dempsey Startup
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.
Key numbers
Funding range
$25,000
Equity
None
Application
Annual
Regional
Last activity
Not recorded
High confidence
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Reminders
Dempsey Startup Competition
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Student experiences · Read or add a note
Student notes
Dempsey Startup Competition
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Application and Timing
The page says the next application site opens in late February and submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 5, with a screening round from April 8 to April 13, 2027.
Participants
Undergraduate and graduate students in the Cascadia corridor and Alaska. A student who graduated the summer before the competition year can still qualify. The team must include an eligible student.
Funding and Equity
2026 awards on the official page include the $25,000 BECU grand prize, the $15,000 WRF Capital second-place prize, and the $10,000 iSpot.tv third-place prize, plus category prizes of $7,500, $5,000, and $2,500. These are prizes, not equity investments. The $25,000 figure is the largest 2026 prize listed, not the full purse. A Foster handout says the competition awards more than $90,000 annually.
Recent Activity
The page publishes a 2026 winner list, including BioBead, CPRight, and Kinnex Health.
Known Startups or Winners
BioBead won the 2026 $25,000 BECU grand prize. CPRight won $15,000. Kinnex Health won $10,000. Other 2026 prize recipients named on the page include Alarmable, Osanwe Link, LEAF, Adam Biotech, Kindred, Emerald Dynamics, UWEMS, Clubless Collective, and GridGuard.
Research gaps & things to verify
Verification Gaps
The exact 2026 final date is not printed next to the winner list, so the activity month is approximate. Whether every 2026 winner included a UW undergraduate is not stated.
Additional research notesShow
News & articles
News articles and official sources documenting Dempsey Startup Competition at University of Washington.
1 source
