New Venture Startup Competition Highlights UCSB Student Entrepreneurship

A startup company with software to eliminate ticket fraud, scalpers and inflated ticket prices.

A mobile app that delivers more than 175 convenience store items to its customers’ doors in less than 30 minutes.

A 360-degree camera security system for cars to help alleviate the distress that comes from accidents, hit-and-runs and criminal activity.

Those were just a handful of the 20 student startup teams highlighted at UC Santa Barbara’s New Venture Challenge last week.

While at the trade show-style event, entrepreneurs shared and demonstrated their ideas to mingling attendees.

The startup launch competition, now in its 18th year, provides a real-world experience of what it takes to begin a business and enables entrepreneurial-minded students a chance to build a business.

Six teams will be selected to advance to the New Venture Challenge final round at 3 p.m. on May 24 at UCSB’s Corwin Pavilion. Finalists will present their investor pitch to the competition panel. The groups receive award packages worth $40,000 in various prize categories.

By Brooke Holland, Noozhawk