Cybersecurity Entrepreneur Challenge

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Venture College and the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity are excited to offer the first Cybersecurity Entrepreneur Challenge, presented by Micron and Boise State University.

Participants will choose a problem statement provided by our industry partners, and form interdisciplinary teams to propose solutions to that problem. These teams will compete for cash prizes as they solve cybersecurity challenges critical to industry growth. At the same time, they will be building a viable venture for themselves and making helpful connections to mentors and industry leaders.

The Venture College will lead participants through a week-long sprint to test, validate, and launch their venture. Teams will be working with industry experts, business leaders, and mentors to help them craft their venture and pitch.

Important Dates

September 8 + 22, 2021 (6-7 pm MT)

Information Sessions

October 10, 2021 (5 pm MT)

Application Closes

October 11 – 17, 2021

Venture Creation

October 18, 2021

Preliminary Pitch Competition

October 21, 2021

Finalists Pitch during Boise Entrepreneur Week

The Cybersecurity Entrepreneur Challenge is open to higher education students across Idaho.

We encourage participants to work on interdisciplinary teams, and to look beyond their own institution to find the right partners for their team.

Venture College will help match students to teams when the program begins. If you don’t have a team in mind, not to worry, as we will help!

If you have formed a team, please still have each member apply individually. Once you have completed your applications, send an email to us at venturecollege@boisestate.edu with a list of your teammates.

What to Expect

Venture College staff and a community of mentors will work closely with teams during this week-long program. This program is designed for students that want to be entrepreneurs, but need help generating an idea.

Participants will attend daily meetings, composed of a mix of lessons, brainstorming sessions with industry leaders, practice pitches with mentors, and one-on-one meetings. Solutions will be refined into ventures through research, customer discovery, and idea validation.

The Cybersecurity Entrepreneur Challenge will culminate with a pitch competition. Judges include industry experts, entrepreneurs, and investors, providing connections to a network that will last well beyond this competition. The top four teams will pitch for cash prizes during this year’s Boise Entrepreneur Week (October 21, 2021).

Competition Guidelines

Pitch Competition

The Cybersecurity Entrepreneur Challenge will culminate in a pitch competition. Entrepreneurs will have 3-4 minutes to present their business solution using a PowerPoint template that includes the following topics:

• What is the problem? 
• What is your solution? 
• What progress did you make during the competition?
• Who really needs your solution now? (Target Market)
• How would you make money? (Revenue Model) 
• What would be your next steps?

After their pitch, entrepreneurs will have 3-5 minutes to answer questions from the judging panel. After all teams have pitched, judges will determine which teams (3 in total) will pitch in the final round for cash prizes.

Judging Criteria

Judges will be using the following criteria to score:

• How well does the solution solve the problem? 
• Likelihood of adoption by industry professionals? 
• Likelihood of the entrepreneur team executing the idea? 
• How much progress did the team make during the competition?

Cash Prizes

$30,000 in Cash Prizes

Participants will have the chance to work with industry leaders, developing a strong network that will last well beyond the competition.

In addition to these connections, there will be funding awarded to the top four teams:

• Micron Cybersecurity Entrepreneur Challenge Award (1st Place): $12,000
• President’s Award: $8,000
• Venture College Award: $5,000
• Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity Award: $5,000