The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship
Dempsey Startup Competition
The Dempsey Startup Competition (Dempsey Startup) is a platform for student-led ventures. The competition provides student teams with mentoring from entrepreneurs and investors, the opportunity to tell their stories to the Seattle startup community, and the visibility they need to get going. More than 5,485 students have participated in this annual new venture competition since its inception in 1998, and the Buerk Center has awarded 178 teams with $1.61million in prize money.
Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge
The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship at the Foster School produces the annual Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge in partnership with the College of Engineering and the College of the Environment, sponsored in part by CoMotion. Interdisciplinary teams of business and engineering students are challenged to develop products that address up-and-coming market conditions and show potential to generate revenue while enhancing environmental sustainability.
Holloman Health Innovation Challenge
New in 2016, the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship launched the Holloman Health Innovation Challenge, providing an exciting opportunity for student teams from across the Pacific Northwest to develop good ideas that will improve treatments and systems in the healthcare space. New medical devices, global health solutions, fitness apps, informatics, business models and more are topics the interdisciplinary teams bring forward. They produce a simulation or prototype, along with a business summary, and have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a room full of expert judges from the community. This challenge is in partnership with the College of Engineering and supported in part by CoMotion.
Other competitions
DubHacks
A 24-hour collegiate hackathon held at the University of Washington in Seattle. They bring together undergraduate students of all backgrounds to inspire individuals to develop creative tools to solve society’s biggest issues.
ASME Student Design Competition
Offered by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and open to ASME student members.
Steel Design Student Competition
Offered by American Institute of Steel Construction and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and open to architecture undergrad and grad students.