The UVemprén Startup contest, an initiative financed by Banco Santander within the field of its collaboration with the Universitat de València, has an explicit goal: awarding the entrepreneurial initiatives and innovative ideas to promote an academic entrepreneurship-based culture capable of contributing to the professional development of students, as well as highlighting projects and ideas of social relevance that can be successfully introduced within our industrial and territorial sector.

The prizes are distributed in four different categories as a way of acknowledging the entrepreneurial talent of not only UV students, but also of the people who already completed their studies in the same institution.

The first category UVemprén Startup - Crea is designed for students from official UV degrees and the prize will be initially given to those whose ideas stand out and promote the development of a business model excluding the need of closing the company. This category grants five prizes of 400 € each.

The prizes of UVemprén Startup - Emprén will acknowledge standout ideas of participants who already find themselves in an advanced development phase involving a validated business model and the development of a minimum viable product or a concept test for products or services, excluding the need of incorporating the company. This second category grants five prizes of 750 € each to students of any of the three last academic years of official UV degrees.

The third category is called UVemprén Startup - Acadèmia, and it grants five prizes of 500 € each to people who submitted their Undergraduate / Master’s Degree Final Project (TFG / TFM) or Doctoral Thesis in any of the three last academic years. The award will be given to the best innovative business ideas originating from TFGs, TFMs or Doctoral Theses of any official UV degree, so that they can turn into a viable business opportunity.

Finally, the UVemprén Startup - Societat category grants a maximum of five prizes of 1.200 € and other five of 450 €, all distributed in five additional categories: Social economy and common good projects, rural entrepreneurship projects, inclusive entrepreneurship projects, sustainable and intelligent mobility / environment projects, and projects designed to promote and boost female entrepreneurship. The companies that are allowed to participate are those where 50% of the people integrated in the directive council or an equivalent body have already studied or are currently doing so to obtain an official UV undergraduate / master’s degree or doctoral studies.

The inscription process to UVemprén Startup is available until May 31^st 2021 and it must be carried out via the programme’s webpage, where it’s possible to find all the necessary information and documentation to participate.