The Scheinfeld New Venture Challenge is a business plan and pitch competition open to undergraduate students in Santa Barbara County who are enrolled at Santa Barbara City College and other local colleges and universities, as well as high school students participating in a Santa Barbara County high school entrepreneurship and related programs and academies.
To submit your entry, you will need to download the Registration Form (under the “Submit” tab), complete the form, and then submit the Registration form electronically with all required attachments, including a Business Plan for your business venture, within the stated deadlines and according to the Official Rules. Please review the important dates and Official Rules on this website.
All forms and attachments must be submitted by emailing them to scheinfeldnvc@gmail.com. You will be notified of your registration status within 72 hours of submission. If you submit your registration more than 72 hours prior to the deadline, you may have an opportunity to correct any omissions that would lead to disqualification. Early submissions are therefore encouraged.
There are no fees to participate in the competition.
Winners will be announced during the livestream pitch competition and posted on the Scheinfeld New Venture Challenge website after the competition.
High School Winners
- $1,000 First Place
- $600 Second Place
- $400 Third Place
Collegiate Winners
- $5,500 First place
- $3,000 Second Place
- $2,000 Third Place
These funds are awarded as a “grant” with reporting requirements. Each winner will report back within 12 months on how the funds were spent and the results of the use of the funds.
Once you have properly registered and submitted your business plan, your submission will be reviewed by a panel of preliminary judges. These judges will identify the top 10 submissions in each tier (collegiate and high school) as finalists for the pitch competition. If you are selected as a finalist, additional submissions are required to compete in the pitch competition. Please refer to the Official Rules submission requirements and important dates.