Graduate student finalists of the 2020 New Venture Competition | Graduate Student Resource Center (GradPost)

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UC Santa Barbara's Graduate Division would like to recognize the graduate student finalists of the 2020 New Venture Competition. Since its beginning in 1999, the UCSB New Venture Competition (NVC) has provided a unique opportunity for UCSB students to learn how to start a business. Read on for more info.

âUC Santa Barbara's Graduate Division would like to recognize the graduate student finalists of the 2020 New Venture Competition:

Brandon Luu - Graduate Student, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Kevin Huynh-Tran - Graduate Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Piergiacomo Palmisani - Graduate Student, Masters in Technology Management
Anurag Pallaprolu - PhD Student, Communications Engineering

Since its beginning in 1999, the UCSB New Venture Competition (NVC) âhas provided a unique opportunity for UCSB students to learn how to start a business.

The NVC is an eight-month educational experience, with activities and curriculum spanning the entire academic year:

In the Fall Quarter, students brainstorm business ideas, form teams and learn how to formulate and recognize a compelling value proposition.
In the Winter Quarter, participants are offered NVC preparation courses and a variety of topical seminars that provide a learning experience similar to that of a startup accelerator.
The competition culminates with two Spring Quarter events: The New Venture Fair, where student teams present their businesses to the public in a tradeshow-style format, and the New Venture Finals, where the finalist teams present an investor pitch to a panel of judges for prize money.

Local business executives and entrepreneurs mentor the students throughout the NVC process and provide valuable contacts that enable the teams to validate their ideas and business models.