HSNVC: inspiring the next generation of innovators
Whether students dream of launching a business, solving global challenges or excelling in their future careers, HSNVC equips them with the tools, confidence and mindset to succeed.
What is the High School New Venture Challenge (HSNVC)?
HSNVC is a multi-round entrepreneurial competition for young innovators and problem-solvers. Hosted by the CU Boulder Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative, the competition is open to high school students across Colorado in support of entrepreneurial learning, pathways to higher education, workforce readiness and life skills development. Participation is free of charge and student teams have the opportunity to compete for more than $25,000 in scholarship funding to apply towards future tuition at CU!
Collaborating with high schools across the state, HSNVC is opening doors to higher education, boosting student confidence, and helping break down socioeconomic barriers in support of career and college readiness.
The evolution of HSNVC
For the past 18 years, CU Boulder’s New Venture Challenge (NVC) has been transformative in helping participants build critical skills, develop an entrepreneurial mindset and gain the confidence to turn ideas into impact. This set an idea in motion and we asked ourselves: What if we brought the opportunity to develop an entrepreneurial mindset to younger students? This led to the launch of HSNVC—an exciting spin-off of the collegiate NVC, specifically designed for high school students. The competition has a prize poll of $25,000 and participation is completely free and open to all Colorado high schoolers.
We piloted the program last year, hoping to attract 5-10 teams. The response? A staggering 87 teams signed up! This overwhelming enthusiasm made it clear that there is a huge demand for entrepreneurial resources and opportunities at the high school level.
Powering innovation: a new partnership with FirstBank
And we couldn’t do it alone. We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with FirstBank. Thanks to their generous support, we’ve tripled the scholarship award pool—from $8,000 last year to $25,000 this year! "This partnership represents FirstBank's dedication to empowering young entrepreneurs and providing them with the tools and resources for success," said Kelly Kaminskas, COO of FirstBank. "By supporting the High School New Venture Challenge, we're fostering innovation, investing in key educational opportunities and building a brighter future together."
Scaling up: expanding access across Colorado
This year, we’re going even bigger—expanding HSNVC across the entire state of Colorado, with an emphasis on rural and underrepresented communities. Our goal? To make this opportunity accessible to even more students by empowering the next generation of problem-solvers, builders and change-makers.
Whether students dream of launching a business, solving global challenges or excelling in their future careers, HSNVC equips them with the tools, confidence and mindset to succeed.
RSVP to attend the HSNVC final competition on April 12
While the first round of the competition takes place online, with a panel of virtual judges reviewing submissions, the real excitement culminates on April 12 on the CU Boulder campus. Finalist teams will pitch their ventures in front of a live audience and panel of judges and prizes will be awarded.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to witness the next generation of innovators in action—cheer them on, be inspired and celebrate the future of entrepreneurship!
Presented in partnership with
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Leah Jean Shafer is program manager for the CU Boulder Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative.