LETTER FROM THE CEO
Dear Carolina Challenge Community,
The Carolina Challenge is a Business and Social Venture Competition designed to promote entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is a student-led program supported by the Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative. We are very thankful to the John Stedman Endowment for providing the top prizes for the competition.
Thanks to the hard work of our devoted professors and incredible students, Forbes and Princeton review have previously ranked UNC Chapel Hill as the #1 entrepreneurial campus in the nation. The Carolina Challenge continues to foster this entrepreneurial tradition by hosting an annual competition open to any UNC-affiliated person. Each Carolina Challenge team includes at least one UNC student, faculty, or staff member. Finalists present their plans to a panel of judges made up of successful entrepreneurs and business people, as well as community and university leaders.
The Carolina Challenge is designed to identify and support outstanding entrepreneurial ventures from all schools and departments throughout the University, including those in the emerging area of social entrepreneurship. Activities span the academic year, beginning in the fall with recruitment and team-formation. The competition includes activities to attract the best ideas and demonstrate the value of participating in and winning the competition. Emphasis is placed on forming multi-disciplinary teams that have the breadth and depth of skills and knowledge to implement the venture idea. Once teams officially enter the competition in January, they gain access to a wide range of resources to help them learn how to turn their ideas into viable business plans.
The Carolina Challenge would like to encourage any person who has an idea and is affiliated with UNC Chapel Hill to enter this competition. Whether you win or not, you will surely gain an invaluable and rewarding experience. Nevertheless, please stay connected to the Carolina Challenge by joining our listserv on the home page. Good luck to this year's entrepreneurial competitors!
Sincerely,
Brent Blonkvist
CEO
