GW’s renowned New Venture Competition (NVC) has launched a brand new Food Innovation Track with the Global Food Institute at GW (GFI) to support solutions improving food security, nutrition, food safety, sustainability, or access to healthy food. 

If you’ve dreamed of pitching your idea on stage, the New Venture Competition is for you! In this process you’ll have the chance to share your idea, refine your concept, and pitch your venture. And if you win? You’ll receive a cash prize to start investing in your idea! 

- New methods for reprocessing food production waste products  

- Improved agricultural or supply chain logistics for smallholder farmers in developing countries  

- Ingredient innovations that improve health and/or sustainability 

- Enhanced food distribution methods that reduce cost, waste, or spoilage  

- New business models that improve access to healthy foods in underserved communities

The GW New Venture Competition is open to individuals or teams of up to five people. Team requirements include:

- At least one member of the team must be a currently enrolled GW student. It is required that the GW student is enrolled in a degree program, full-time or part-time, in a semester/term of the academic year in which the competition takes place.

- A team may be comprised of up to five people, and at least 50% of the team must be affiliated with GW in some way. Learn more about eligibility. 

Don’t miss your chance to apply! Round 1 applications close on Sunday, February 1st, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

Do you have an idea, but don’t know how to get started? Do you want to make your application stand out? Interested in learning the basics of entrepreneurship? Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s (OIE) has webinars to help you through every step of the process! This month don’t miss:

The Introduction to Lean Innovation (ILI) is a monthly webinar geared toward early-stage innovators or individuals with only some prior knowledge of entrepreneurship. GW provides an overview of the customer discovery process, as well as the basics of commercialization. Bob Smith, Executive Director of OIE and a serial entrepreneur, hosts the event. This webinar is open to all and will occur on Friday, January 16th from 12pm to 1:15pm.

Interested in applying for the 2026 New Venture Competition? Want to make your application stand out? Join us for our NVC Round 1 Bootcamp!

This in-depth info session will provide a step-by-step review of the NVC application, share valuable tips to articulate your problem, solution, customer, and market, plus insight into what judges are really looking for. Don’t miss this opportunity to ask all of your Round One questions and stay ahead in your application journey!

At this webinar, you’ll also have a chance to learn more about the new Food Innovation track. It will take place virtually on Tuesday, January 20th, 2026 from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.

1. Check your eligibility: includes participant, team composition, and venture requirements 

2. Review and select the Food Innovation Track 

3. Review requirements and your submit application: review expectations as well as post-submission steps

*Consider attending one or more of OIE’s workshops or bootcamps to refine your venture idea and/or application.