Asper Student Startup Prizes

Celebrating Student Entrepreneurs

All submissions due at 5 P.M. on April 22.

The Asper Student Startup Prizes award creative and innovative ideas developed by Brandeis students. These ideas are innovations in their early stages that have been inspired by research and coursework across all disciplines and departments at Brandeis.

The $1,000 prizes will be presented in the following categories:

General Entrepreneurship
Apps, Software and Computer Science
Social Impact and Brandeisian Values
Prototyping and Product Design

2023 Asper Award for Global Entrepreneurship

Date:
Thursday, April 27, 2023 — 5-7:30 P.M.

Location:
Brandeis International Business School
415 South St, Waltham, MA 02453

Schedule:

Asper Student Startup Prizes — Lee Hall, Food will be served

Brandeis Alumni Entrepreneurship Award — Lee Hall

Virtual Presentation of Asper Award — Lee Hall

Virtual Q & A with honoree Robert Herjavec — Lee Hall

Reception — World Court, Dessert will be served

All video startup pitches submitted by April 10 will be reviewed by our panel of judges. The following criteria will be used to evaluate submissions. Depending on your idea/startup model, some criteria may be more relevant than others:

Explanation of the problem
Feasibility of the solution
Strength of initial product/service (Minimum Viable Product)
Initial tests of product/service (Hypothesis testing)
Polish of the video pitch itself: Does it grab the viewer’s attention? Is it well-produced?
Fit with the team
Thoughtfulness of timeline for: Technology and Operations; Team building and scaling; Business Plan

About the Asper Award

The Asper Award for Global Entrepreneurship is given annually to a person who best exemplifies Brandeis International Business School's values of entrepreneurial spirit and independent thinking.

This year's award recipient is Robert Herjavec, entrepreneur, CEO, best-selling author and star of ABC's Emmy Award-winning show, Shark Tank.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the criteria for the three-minute video submission?

There is no cookie cutter approach. Be creative, convincing and compelling— and keep the judging criteria in mind (see above).

Who can participate?

Any student currently enrolled at Brandeis.

How many people can I have on my team?

There is no minimum or maximum. Come up with your dream team of one or many. The prizes are awarded for the team and will be split evenly among all the members.

If I have additional questions, who can I reach out to?

Leo Chen
leichen@brandeis.edu

If I submit, do I need to be present to accept the prize?

At least one team member must be present to accept the prize. We prefer to have the whole team there on April 27. If your entire team cannot make it, please let us know in advance.