$50k Student Entrepreneur Investment Prize

$50k Student Entrepreneur Investment Prize is back for its third year! Front Row Ventures (FRV) is Canada’s leading university-focused and student-operated VC firm with a presence on 20+ university campuses across Canada. They are early-stage and industry-agnostic investors backing high-impact student entrepreneurs with diverse backgrounds and ambitious technology-enabled ideas.

Over the past 7 years, FRV has invested in more than 60 companies including Puzzle Medical Devices, Nomic Bio and Valence Discovery. Combined, these companies have gone on to raise over $250 million in follow-on funding with top tier investors. With a $5.5M pan-Canadian fund closed in 2023, FRV is deploying the largest pool of capital in Canada exclusively dedicated to investing in student-led startups.

Eligibility Criteria

This prize is open to attendees of Startupfest working on a startup with at least one co-founder currently enrolled at a Canadian university or who has graduated no longer than 6 months ago. The company must also be incorporated in Canada.

The Process

Pre-registration is mandatory to pitch, but a few wild card spots will be available on site and expected to fill out a form upon arrival.

On July 9 and 10, join the FRV team in The Startupfest Village to make your pitch. The pitches happening on the these dates are preliminary rounds, 5 companies will be shortlisted for a final on July 11th.

When to pitch:

Details to come

Prize Details

This prize is a $50,000 investment under FRV's standard safe note, (subject to standard legal due diligence).

2025 Judges - Will be announced shortly

See the FRV SAFE Overview