Student Startup Madness Field of 64 Startups Announced, NVD Alum to Compete

Student Startup Madness Field of 64 Startups Announced, NVD Alum to Compete

Audivity, a student startup helping creators increase traffic, engage new listeners, and diversify revenue by converting blogs into professional podcasts is one of 64 student startup teams selected to compete in the Student Startup Madness tournament. The tournament will end on March 11, 2019 with the final competition on-stage at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, TX.

Ed Gomberg, Founder of Audivity, graduated in Fall 2018 with a Finance and Entrepreneurship degree from Eller College of Management and McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship. Gomberg founded Audivity while part of McGuire’s New Venture Development Program where he has been working hard over the past year to launch his startup. Audivity is allowing companies to reach a wider audience by making it simple to turn a great story into a professional podcast.

Student Startup Madness is the only nationwide collegiate tournament focused on digital media startups. It allows college student startups the opportunity to compete against fellow student entrepreneurs, grab the attention of potential investors and supporters, and build an elite professional network. At the SSM finals at SXSW, eight elite college student startups will pitch their business to well-known investors, technologists and entrepreneurs who can help them transform these early startups into successful businesses. Read more about the competition.

Innovation Expo 2019

McGuire’s New Venture Development Program is a yearlong, team-based program where students learn the principles of entrepreneurship and innovation through the hands-on process of building an innovation from early-stage idea to launch-ready venture.

On February 14, 2019, student teams in the NVD Program will be showcasing their startup teams at the Innovation Expo. The student startups participating at the event have spent six months receiving intensive experiential education that engages them in the process of moving innovation from an early-stage idea to a sustainable launch-ready venture. The Innovation Expo is an opportunity for students to present their ventures to the public for the first time.

In addition to unveiling their ventures, student teams are competing to win the Investors’ Choice Award. Students who check in at the McGuire Center Welcome Booth will receive five million “McGuire Bucks” that they can distribute to teams they want to support. The team with the most votes at the end of the day will win the award.

The 2019 McGuire Innovation Expo is sponsored by Microsoft.