Alumni Judges Needed | 2026 Startup Challenge

Date and Time
Thursday, January 15, 2026
11:59pm—11:59pm
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Sign Up by November 30, 2025, 11:59p PT To Judge the 2026 Startup Challenge! 

 

As an alumni judge for the Startup Challenge, you enhance the entrepreneurial experience for today’s students and strengthen our entrepreneurial community. Judges provide quantitative scores and qualitative feedback to students at all levels (from freshmen to PhDs), from all Penn schools, and with any amount of entrepreneurial experience, as they work on their ventures. 

 

The top 8 teams will then compete in the Startup Challenge Finals on Friday, May 1, 2026. Register by November 30, 2025, 11:59p PT 

Register To Judge

 

 

 

First Round Judges:
Help us identify the most promising ventures from our applicant pool.
Eligibility: Open to all Penn alumni

  • Review 3 to 5 startup applications, including pitch decks and short videos, matched to your industry expertise.
  • Evaluate each venture by submitting quantitative scores and qualitative feedback via SurveyMonkey Apply.
  • Timeline: January 26 – February 16, 2026

Semifinals Judges

Join us live to help select the finalists for the Startup Challenge.
Eligibility: Open to Penn alumni prior to 2015

  • Attend the virtual semifinals on Friday, March 20, 2026. Choose from a morning (9:00 AM–12:30 PM ET) or afternoon (1:00–4:30 PM ET) session via Zoom.
  • Evaluate 4 to 7 ventures in a virtual room matched to your industry background.
  • Score each presentation to help determine which teams advance to the final round.
  • Preview startup materials in advance through SurveyMonkey Apply.

2025 Startup Challenge Highlights 

Sync Labs Wins $50,000 Perlman Grand Prize at 2025 Venture Lab Startup Challenge!

PHILADELPHIA, MAY 02, 2025–The University of Pennsylvania’s Venture Lab is pleased to announce the 2025 winner of its annual Startup Challenge: Sync Labs, founded by Melanie Herbert, EE'25. Sync Labs is a healthtech company building AI-powered monitoring systems to address the caregiver shortage in senior living.

 
Read More

2025 Startup Challenge Award Ceremony

The Startup Challenge is Venture Lab at The University of Pennsylvania’s flagship event, which brings together successful entrepreneurial alumni and Penn student entrepreneurs to showcase the best student-founded ventures from across Penn’s campus. Teams have a chance to win awards from a pool of more than $150,000 in cash prizes, in-kind support, and additional resources.
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Questions about judging for the Startup Challenge? Contact Kacey Beltz at [email protected]


We receive an overwhelming amount of interest in serving as a judge for the Startup Challenge each year. While we’re grateful for the enthusiasm and support from the Penn alumni community, we may not be able to accommodate everyone interested in judging. If you are not selected this year, please know how much we appreciate your interest, and we encourage you to stay engaged for future opportunities to support our student entrepreneurs.