Batten Institute - Competitions

The Batten Institute supports student participation in several pan-University entrepreneurship competitions and programs each year which award more than $500,000 in grants and investments.

UVA Entrepreneurship Cup

The University of Virginia Entrepreneurship Cup, also known as the E-Cup, is an annual competition that seeks to enrich the area’s entrepreneurial community by encouraging new ventures with the potential to address unmet needs, solve social and economic problems, and do so in an interdisciplinary way. The E-Cup is open to all UVA undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. View the 2024-25 Competition Finalists and Winners.

Venture Capital Investment Competition

Learn to think like a venture capitalist by competing in the VCIC, an annual international venture capital competition run by UNC Kenan-Flagler. 

Batten Strategic Competition Initiative 

The Batten Institute sponsors a qualified number of student teams to attend certain strategic competitions in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation. Darden students can access the link to eligibility and guidelines. 

Galant Challenge

The Galant Challenge is organized by the McIntire School of Commerce. It connects ventures from the UVA community with potential investors. This exciting event has successfully funded ventures with more than $2 million in capital, in just the past few years alone.