UWindsor hosts Student Entrepreneurship Competition

Students at the University of Windsor are participating in an entrepreneurship contest in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor)

Students at the University of Windsor are participating in an entrepreneurship contest for cash prizes.

The Venture-U Final Pitch Contest showcases student innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving over a five-day period.

The event brings together 100 multi-disciplinary students whose task it is to come up with unique solutions to real-world scenarios.

The top six teams out of 20 will present their ideas to a panel of industry experts and community leaders.

Sydney Thompson is the entrepreneurship program coordinator at University of Windsor. Thompson is enthusiastic about what this experience will mean for those involved.

“We targeted 100 students across the University of Windsor,” said Thompson.

“In today’s room, we have first year business students all the way up to PhD computer science students. So, this program does a great job at tackling and focusing on, all students across campus and really what this program is.”

The competition is fierce, focusing on problems that the auto mobility industry faces – and there’s a lot at stake for the eventual winners.

“On the first day, they’re given two problem statements over five days,” said Thompson. “

“They have to attend workshops, work with mentors, and create business models. And then on the final day, they’ll pitch their business solution for the opportunity to win up to $10,000 in cash prizes.”

The final pitches will be presented on Saturday, Feb. 22.