Startup competitions seeking faith-based companies

They include The Biola Startup Competition and Tech for Good competition

If you're a startup seeking opportunities to get funded, educated or connected, startup competitions are a great resource.

Vator has been holding its own competitions, using VatorX, to find and filter for the best startups. We've had some very successful and notable winners in the past that have gone on to raise big funding rounds including Thumbtack, DogVacay, Pokitdok, Grovo, Udemy and Apartment List, to name a few.

Anyone can list their program as VatorX is one of the most comprehensive listing guides to startup competitions, challenges, accelerators and programs. Click here to list your program!

As part of our weekly series, we'll look at top competitions with big cash prizes, as well as competitions that have teed up the most promising startups, to finding popular startup competitions you need to know about. 

Here are some of the startup competitions that are focused on faith-based companies:

 

• The Biola Startup Competition

Description: "The Biola Startup Competition, hosted by Crowell School of Business, is a faith-based business competition designed to help Biola students and alumni launch innovative, kingdom-minded businesses and nonprofits that have the potential to significantly impact the world for Christ."

Prize: Participating teams can win up to $15,000 in awards to launch their business in addition to other awards and are aided by experienced business leaders throughout the competition.

Previous winners: Illuminate International, Wevene.com, Raptor House Effects, Lift

 

• ELEVATE Business Plan competition

Description: "Our vision is to elevate and mobilize a generation of bright entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders to work for the good of others Genesis 2:15, use God-given gifts Romans 12:6-8, and multiply God’s resources Luke 19:11-27 for His purpose and Kingdom."

Prize: The four teams invited (with travel expenses reimbursed) to the National Finals in Silicon Valley, CA will compete for a $50,000 Grand Prize. Half of the prize will come in the form of a cash investment and the other half will come through a startup advisory agreement.

Previous winners: Sokowatch, Disease Diagnostic Group, SwineTech

 

• LTU pitch competition

Description: "Up to 10 Southeast Michigan faith-based organizations will be accepted into the competition, each entering a team of up to five high-school-age youth to compete for prizes by pitching a business idea to a Shark Tank style panel of judges. The faith-based organizations are responsible for selecting the youth from their congregations who will participate."

Prize: Winning teams will receive cash prizes, LTU scholarships, and free business assistance services.

Previous winners: None yet

 

 

• Values and Ventures Competition

Description: "Each spring, we invite students from around the world to pitch ideas for conscious capitalism ventures that make a profit while also solving a problem."

Prize: Winners take home thousands of dollars to help make their ideas come true

Previous winners: ABAL Therapeutics, Orindi, Sink Guard

 

 

• Tech for Good competition

Description: "Girls are invited to develop an app, website, computer program, 3D printer template, or anything else “tech” that they’re inspired to create – as long as it has a philanthropic purpose. Each submission must either directly benefit, or provide a service on behalf of a nonprofit organization, church, school, or government agency. In a nutshell, use your tech skills to make something that helps others."

Prize: The Grand Prizes in the past have included a laptop to the winning team! The winning project and each of the runners up will receive tech-focused prizes, sponsored by AT&T. Prizes are determined by number of girls per team. All of the finalists will get to go to the Capitol on April 11th to meet with the Governor and legislators.

Previous winners: Not specified

 

 

• FaithTech HACK

Description: "Hackathons igniting the Christian purpose of technologists & entrepreneurs to innovate culture shaping technologies that would reclaim our times for the Gospel."

Prize: Not specified

Previous winners: Not specified

(Image source: jonathanmerritt.com)