The Paul and Tom Kinnear New Venture Competition
In 2008, the Paul and Tom Kinnear New Venture Competition was established at Smith School of Business to support entrepreneurship among Commerce students. The Kinnear New Venture Competition is open to all Smith undergraduate students who either have an ongoing company or are in the process of establishing a venture. The top team will be awarded $10k that can be used towards creating or ongoing operations of the business.
Looking to compete?
To enter, at least one of the team members must be the founder/co-founder and enrolled in the Smith Commerce program. No exceptions. Entrepreneurs will have six minutes to pitch to a panel of expert judges on why they deserve $10K in funding. Your business should be well beyond the ideation phase, approaching or beyond the MVP stage and gaining market traction (customers/revenue).
Key dates & deadlines
| Task | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications Open | Mon, Sept 15 |
| Applications Close | Fri, Oct 17 |
| Pre-Screening Judges Deliberations | Sat, Oct 18 - Tues, Oct 28 |
| Finalists Announced | Wed, Oct 29 |
| Finals Event* | Sat, Nov 1, 9-11:30 am (ET) |
*Due to the number of entries, only the finalists will be informed they are moving forward
Criteria to submit
- Can articulate the vision of the business clearly and concisely
- Proven research and market validation, including a strong understanding of the total addressable /service available/serviceable obtainable market
- The company must have a prototype or Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and has market traction through demonstrated validation (financial or non-financial)
- A strong team with proven core competencies – advisor team, is an asset
- Critical - can clearly illustrate the revenue model and profitability (economics of the business)
- Why do you need the cash? You can identify the key areas where the money will be used and show any additional capital raised to date
Guidelines and templates
Please read through the guidelines carefully
2024 Results
Winners
Evermore
Chris Rambihar (MBA’25), Thomas Toulgoet (BCom’28)
Evermore aims to redefine the human-canine connection by enhancing longevity and general health through their proprietary EverVital formula. Their natural treats target common aging issues - such as cognitive decline, joint discomfort, and digestive challenges - offering a comprehensive solution in a single product.
Monarch Informatics
Marcus Wright-Smith (BCom’25), Azeem Khan (Comp’25), Jasmine Wu (Artsci’25)
Monarch Informatics is providing hospital laboratories with data analytics through our platform named LOLA (Live Operational Laboratory Analytics). LOLA is a dashboard that provides real-time insights to laboratory operational metrics, reducing manual labour that lab workers endure on a daily basis.
Finalists
- The Local Reach
Evan Ferreira (BCom’26), Joseph Liao (Comp’26), Hussein Tahan - Stubuddy
Lawrence Shen (BCom’25), Al-Barr Ajiboye (Comp’26), Muyi Omorogbe (Eng’25)