Startup Challenges
  • What are our Startup Challenges? Our Startup Challenges feature federally funded and commercially viable inventions where the goal is to launch companies around challenge inventions
  • Your Opportunity: Participate in a challenge and receive entrepreneurial training as well as experiential learning, mentorship, prize money, and funding for your startup.  Most importantly, launch a company around the inventions to drive innovation!
  • Logistics: All participation is virtual and we highly encourage you to check out our websites below and enter. We encourage all interested and first-time entrepreneurs from all backgrounds to enter!
Freedom from Cancer Startup Challenge

Open for Entry: Enter Here!
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VA Beach Bio Innovation Challenge

Open for Entry: Enter Here!
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Fempower Startup Challenge

Visit Our Prior Challenges

Our Mission:
The Center for Advancing Innovation

The Center for Advancing Innovation is a 501(c)(3)

Our mission is to accelerate and increase the volume of knowledge/technology transfer, commercialization in support of high growth business, economic impact and entrepreneurship, ultimately to maximize the commercial potential of promising inventions.

In order to assist in the most relevant ways, we have designed three alternatives to assist Research Institutes, including Universities, Foundations, Hospitals, as well as Federal labs.  
Click here to learn more
Assistance We Provide
What should I do?
  • Assess the research portfolio and select the most valuable research assets
  • Identify the commercialization path and/or R&D plan
  • Create, nurture, and cultivate startups

What capabilities should I develop?
  • Plan: Define the operational strategy (people, process and technology) by assessing the Research Institute knowledge/ technology transfer, commercialization and entrepreneurial capabilities versus leading practices and benchmarks versus best-in-class peers 
  • Design the capabilities blueprint
  • Transform: create a future state roadmap and business case for change

Help me do it
  • Joint Operations: Perform joint due diligence on the Research Institute portfolio; select the valuable research assets and define commercialization paths 
  • Execution: Assist with commercialization by cultivating startups (including but not limited to gaining access to capital, establishing management teams); assisting with structured licensing agreements, collaborative R&D, sponsored research; identifying R&D plans, etc.
  • Value-Added Services: Perform other services, designed, operated and managed for you

Please find more about our capabilities here

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The Center for Advancing Innovation, Inc 2015