Member universities join a real league — free student applications, an internal competition platform, and a direct path from your founders to the national championship stage at Forbes on Fifth.
Become a Member InstitutionRegistration opening soon — universities can join the waitlist now.
Student demand is surging, but most campuses still rely on fragmented and manual competition workflows.
1B+
entrepreneurs worldwide by 2035
64%
of college students want to start a business
5,000+
U.S. universities with entrepreneurship programs
Most entrepreneurship programs are still doing championship-level work with patchwork systems.
Application intake is fragmented across forms, email, and spreadsheets
Students receive guidance too late, leading to weaker initial submissions
Each competition cycle requires significant manual coordination
No consistent framework across programs or departments
The NCEA Forbes Cup isn't just a founder competition — it's a league. Every selection, Bracket Championship, at-large bid, and national title earns points for the founder's school in the national standings. Member universities get free student applications, an internal competition platform to run their own qualifiers, and a shot at Program of the Year.
Member universities get free student applications into the national season.
Run internal qualifiers and founder preparation on the same platform as the national season.
Selections, Bracket Championships, at-large bids, and titles all contribute points to your school in the national standings.
Every school competes for more than founder wins — member institutions also chase Program of the Year recognition.
The public championship pathway is published and consistent across the league.
January 12
The Selection Committee announces the field of 96 — eight seeded ventures in each of the twelve brackets — live. Every applicant, selected or not, receives a scored feedback report on their venture.
January–February
Ventures compete head-to-head inside their bracket before domain-expert judges. Eight become four.
February–March
Four become one. Twelve Bracket Champions are crowned — the first titles of the season, and automatic bids to the Founders 16.
March 9
The twelve Bracket Champions are joined by four at-large selections — the best non-champion in each division, chosen by the Selection Committee.
March 30–31
at Forbes on Fifth, Day 2
Day 1: the field narrows to the Forbes 4. Day 2: the Semifinals, then the National Championship — seed capital, the Forbes feature, and the national title, decided live.
Give your founders a real path to the national championship and put your program in the national standings.
Become a Member Institution