Cybersecurity Entrepreneur Challenge

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

This is a ‘reverse pitch’ competition, which means you don’t have to bring your own idea. Participants will choose a problem provided by industry partners and propose a solution in the form of a new venture. 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.

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.

Examples of Problem Statements from 2021

Student Track

Open to higher education students across the state of Idaho.

If applying as a team, at least one member of your team must be a registered student at a college or university in Idaho.

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

If you are applying as an individual, Venture College will help match students to teams when the program begins.

Public Track

Open to the community and general public. Participants in this track don’t need to be a resident in the state of Idaho to compete.

1. Sprint

During the first phase of the Cybersecurity Entrepreneur Challenge, participants:

• Learn more about the problem they are solving
• Work with mentors assigned to their teams
• Develop an idea for a solution
• Build and test their prototype

While the majority of the sprint is done outside of the classroom, including reviewing on-demand entrepreneur and start-up content, participants can expect the following meetings:

• Welcome meeting (1 hour)
• Interview with your problem sponsors (1 hour)
• Meeting with your mentor (1 hour)
• Pitch practice (30 minutes)

2. Preliminary Pitch Competition

Teams will compete for their spot in the final competition and chance to win cash prizes by pitching their solutions to industry experts, community leaders, and experienced entrepreneurs. The top 3 teams in each track will advance to the final pitch competition.

3. Final Pitch Competition

The Cybersecurity Entrepreneur Challenge will culminate with a pitch competition at Boise Entrepreneur Week (BEW).

BEW is Idaho’s largest community-driven, entrepreneur-focused event. Each year, thousands of people come together to learn, support, and celebrate Idaho’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The top 3 teams in each track will pitch to judges made up of industry experts, entrepreneurs, and investors, providing connections to a network that will last well beyond this competition.