WILDCAT SEED FUND

WHAT IS WILDCAT SEED FUND?

It's a seed fund for early stage concepts or ventures that need funding to move their business idea to the next stage.

DOES THE UNIVERSITY TAKE EQUITY?

The University DOES NOT take equity in your business, nor are you expected to pay the money back. It's more like a business grant.

HOW MUCH IS AVAILABLE?

You can pitch for hundreds or a few thousand dollars to help your concpet move forward.

WATCH A QUICK VIDEO

SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO PRESENT

CONTACT US

Brandon Stoddard:
brandonstoddard@weber.edu
(801) 626-7205

James Taylor:
jamestaylor8@weber.edu
(801) 626-6055

Patrick Thomas:
patrickthomas@weber.edu
(801) 626-7619

RAISE THOUSANDS!

Pitch your business idea for a chance at early-stage funding for your idea or new venture.

GET EXPERIENCE

Work with mentors to help you learn and prepare to pitch your breakthrough idea.

MAKE CONNECTIONS

Meet new people that help move your concept forward.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Make progress on your idea and make a difference in the lives of those you serve.

DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS

The Wildcat Seed Fund provides early stage funding for student and faculty business concepts and new ventures that helps progress businesses forward to the next milestone(s). Interested entrepreneurs may submit an application directly below for initial review. If an applicant is selected to move forward, they will be invited to make a seven-minute pitch to an audience and judging panel who will collectively decide if and how much funding will be awarded to each entrepreneur. That amount could equal a couple of hundred dollars to a few thousand. The funding is not a loan and the University does not take equity in applicant's ventures. Applicants may apply and pitch multiple times depending on their progress and needs.

At the pitch events, the selected applicants will present their business concepts to a live audience. Tantamount to the TV show American Idol, the audience will vote on whether the idea should be funded or not. The judges of the event, including MBA scholarship recipients, will then decide how much each successful pitch should be awarded. For example, a crowd may determine that a pitch should be funded; and the judges, at their discretion, may fully fund the pitch for the requested amount or at a lesser amount. There are no stipulations on what kind of business opportunity is submitted, other than it has proved or or with evidence shows strong possiblity of becoming a reveune-generating business.

Competitive applications include:

A reasonable value proposition;
Identified and reasonable customer segments for the value proposition
Describes market validation including preliminary research, reviews of prior art (intellectual property), customer surveys; and
Specifies the next business milestone, which is reasonbaly achievable for th eamount of funding being requested and is a logical step towards successful commercialization

SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO PRESENT