Students from 13 universities compete to start a business at the Northwest Venture Championships in Boise, Idaho

The competition has evolved into a way for Idaho to encourage local economic development by offering winning students incentives for staying in Idaho, Neupert said. "If they commit to Idaho, then we’ll commit to them," he said.

Students from 13 universities from across the country and Canada are coming to Boise State University next week in hopes of launching their own businesses.

The fifth annual Northwest Venture Championship kicks off March 22. It is a competition that allows university students, including four BSU students this year, to present their business ideas to investors. The winners take home cash prizes and get a year lease on office space and a year’s worth of business consulting services for free, if the company registers in Idaho.

The competition started five years ago as a way to teach business students how they could start a business focused on a single product.

The Northwest Venture Championship will be held at the same time Kickstart, an annual workshop series for entrepreneurs, is scheduled. Most of the events related to the championship and Kickstart are free and open to the public, and will be held at the Boise State Student Union, unless otherwise noted.
Visit http://www.northwestventure championship.org or http://www.kick startidaho.com for a complete schedule.

Melissa McGrath
The Idaho Statesman

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