ALFRED, NY - The inaugural Startup Allegany Collegiate Competition, scheduled for this past April but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is back on the calendar and will be held in the spring of 2021.
The competition, involving students from Allegany County’s three institutions of higher education-Alfred University, Alfred State College, and Houghton College-is based on solving for problems faced by businesses. The goal of the competition is to promote economic development through entrepreneurship.
The inaugural Startup Allegany Collegiate Competition was to be held April 3-5 at Alfred University, but will now be held next spring (dates to be announced), with the Alfred University College of Business serving as host. Over the course of the three days, students from the three institutions will compete as teams to solve a challenge focusing on sustainability: meeting today’s needs without compromising tomorrow’s resources. Teams will come up with ideas for promoting sustainability in business, with the winning plans determined by a panel of judges.
The Alfred University College of Business describes the Startup Allegany Collegiate Competition as an "innovative, collaborative weekend event which invites students from all three colleges and all disciplines to participate in an entrepreneurial-focused competition that seeks to develop creative solutions to real-world challenges."
Top winners will receive cash toward the launch of their business as well as in-kind donations of professional services.
The competition is a partnership of Alfred University, Alfred State College, Houghton College, Allegany County, the ACCORD Corp., IncubatorWorks, and the Western New York Incubator Network. The Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology and Sealing Devices Inc. are event sponsors.
