Every big idea starts small — but it doesn’t have to stay that way. The Tufts New Ventures Competition, hosted by the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts, is more than a contest; it’s a launchpad for impact-driven founders across industries. Whether your passion lies in technology, social change, or healthcare innovation, this is where your idea finds the tools, network, and visibility it deserves.
With over $250,000 in cash and in-kind prizes, this year’s competition is bigger than ever — and your chance to turn vision into traction.
Here are five reasons this experience goes beyond the prize:
- Turn Your Vision into Real-World Impact
The Tufts New Ventures Competition pushes you to do more than simply pitch — it calls you to prove your impact. The judging rubric isn’t just about idea quality; it’s about scalability, sustainability, and social value. Whether you’re solving a healthcare challenge or building tech for emerging markets, you’ll refine how your solution creates measurable change. It’s practice for communicating the “why” behind your business — something investors and stakeholders will always ask.
- Tailored Coaching That Elevates Your Strategy
Each participant gains access to one-on-one coaching from Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs), workshops, and pitch practices designed to sharpen both your message and your model. Coaches include seasoned entrepreneurs, faculty, and alumni who've been where you are — building startups, raising capital, managing pivots. From business model tweaks to storytelling polish, this coaching experience turns theoretical learning into tactical improvement.
- A Microcosm of the Startup Ecosystem
The competition isn’t just an event; it’s a networking engine. You’ll meet judges, investors, peers, and coaches representing every corner of the Tufts innovation ecosystem — from biotech researchers and sustainable product designers to civic innovators. The competition is made up of teams with diverse backgrounds, even within the three tracks; new technology, solutions for gaps in healthcare, educational tools, and even art creation. Many teams discover co-founders, first customers, or even their initial funding connections here; this is community-building at its most authentic.
- Unmatched Resources and Perks for Founders
Winning teams don't just walk away with cash (9 prizes across the General, Healthcare and Social Impact Tracks — 1st place winner: $20,000, 2nd place winner: $10,000, 3rd place winner: $5,000) — they gain access to resources designed for longevity. Competing teams have additional opportunities to be awarded the $25,000 Cummings Properties office-space credit, as well as access to the Derby Learning Center, Knowledgebase, and Founder Perks, and can apply to be considered for the Tufts Venture Accelerator. There is also the additional Creative Arts Prize which is offered in partnership with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. This infrastructure helps provide the runway to validate your model, build your MVP, and prepare for your next funding milestone.
- A Launchpad for Emerging Founders
You don't need years of experience to belong on this stage. The competition explicitly welcomes first-time founders, women, international students, and underrepresented innovators looking to make their mark across a wide range of business ideas. The Tufts New Ventures Competition has a track record of turning early ideas into funded, scalable ventures, with alumni translating research and class projects into real-world companies.
Meghan Davis and Sebastián Useche, for example, launched SilkMed from Professor David Kaplan's silk research, entered the Tufts New Ventures Competition, and went on to secure more than $120,000 in grant funding through programs like VentureWell and NSF I-Corps while continuing in the Tufts Venture Accelerator. Their story shows how participation in the competition can be the first step in a longer journey that spans accelerators and new paths in life sciences and beyond.
For emerging founders — especially those without a traditional entrepreneurship background — the Tufts New Ventures Competition offers proof that with the right ecosystem, coaching, and support, a semester's idea can evolve into a venture shaping patient care, technology, or social impact at scale.