In 2008, the Paul and Tom Kinnear New Venture Competition was established at Smith School of Business to support entrepreneurship among Commerce students. The Kinnear New Venture Competition is open to all Smith undergraduate students who either have an ongoing company or are in the process of establishing a venture. The top team will be awarded $10k that can be used towards creating or ongoing operations of the business.

Looking to compete?

To enter, at least one of the team members must be the founder/co-founder and enrolled in the Smith Commerce program. No exceptions. Entrepreneurs will have six minutes to pitch to a panel of expert judges on why they deserve $10K in funding. Your business should be well beyond the ideation phase, approaching or beyond the MVP stage and gaining market traction (customers/revenue).

Key dates & deadlines

Applications Open - Mon, Sept 30

Applications Close - Fri, Oct 25 @ Noon (ET)

Pre-Screening Judges Deliberations - Fri, Oct 25 - Mon, Oct 28

Finalists Announced - Tues, Oct 29

Finals Event - Sat, Nov 2, 9-11:30 am (ET)