The Black New Venture Competition (BNVC) connects promising early-stage Black founders with resources to develop their ventures into dynamic powerhouses. The competition serves as a launching pad for innovative ventures by providing exposure to capital, mentors, and advisors. Previous winners have gone on to raise notable pre-seed and seed rounds and have been accepted into prestigious accelerators (Y Combinator, TechStars).
Founders will have the opportunity to pitch their ventures to a panel of esteemed judges and compete for a chance to win $275K of total prize money. There are two competition tracks: one for pre-revenue ventures and another for revenue-generating ventures.
The competition is open to entrepreneurs with innovative solutions to today’s toughest problems. Entrepreneurs with ventures that meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply:
- Self-identified Black founder, co-founder, or other
member of C-suite.
- Proven minimum viable product
- Early Stage (Pre-seed – Seed)
- Less than 5 years in operation
- Raised less than $500,000 in funding to date
-Not a recipient of any previous funding from sponsors