Student entrepreneurs and university faculty from around the globe will gather in Berkeley Nov. 16-20 to compete and learn as part of the Intel+UC Berkeley Global Entrepreneurship Education Initiative.
A record 25 student teams are expected to compete in the fifth annual Intel+UC Berkeley Technology Entrepreneurship Challenge (IBTEC). Eight finalist teams will vie for $45,000 in prize money at a Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Andersen Auditorium.
The competition, sponsored by Intel and hosted by the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, aims to promote the commercialization of technological innovations that promise significant positive impact on industry and society. Teams will be presenting pitches on a range of technologies, from mobile and wireless to medical devices, from energy to consumer electronics.
Teams are selected to participate from partner competitions around the world, including the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition; the Business Innovation Technology competition, a collaboration of six Russian universities; National University of Singapore's Start-Up@Singapore; the Arab Science and Technology Foundation’s Arab Technology Business Plan Competition; China College Student Business Plan Competition, involving students from more than 200 Chinese universities; and the Intel Latin America Challenge, with collaboration from educational institutions and entrepreneurial organizations across Central and South America.
A Global Entrepreneurship Leadership Symposium will take place during the week as well. Haas School faculty will train international faculty from partner institutions on how to start entrepreneurial ecosystems at their own universities and in their respective regions. Symposium attendees will also engage with IBTEC, providing feedback during the pitch sessions and mentoring a team throughout the week.
“In emerging markets, innovation and entrepreneurship are beginning to thrive. The challenge showcases business opportunities from around the globe that have the greatest potential and can have a positive impact on society through the deployment of new technologies,” says Dave Charron, acting executive director of the Lester Center. “Intel and UC Berkeley are committed to aiding universities worldwide in providing an environment, including technical and business curricula, that accelerates and connects entrepreneurs to the Silicon Valley.”
The activities at Berkeley coincide with Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009, spearheaded by the Kauffman Foundation, which introduces millions of young people around the world to entrepreneurship and encourages them to think of innovation as a vehicle that can take them anywhere.
For more information on the competition, visit the IBTEC website. To register for the final event, visit the Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum event page.