Application Period Open for Fifth Annual Sheridan Start

Kickoff for the 2021 Sheridan Start-Up Challenge begins today (Monday) with the opening of the application period.

This will be the fifth consecutive year of IMPACT Sheridan’s annual entrepreneur competition. As was the case with 2020, applicants will vie for a portion of the $100,000 seed capital fund that has been set up for the event.

IMPACT 307, with business incubators in Casper, Laramie and Sheridan, is a business development program of the University of Wyoming. It is a not-for-profit business incubator system that provides startup and early-stage companies with the expertise, networks and tools necessary for the development of successful businesses. It is administered by UW’s Office of Research and Economic Development.

Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, Sept. 21. Interested entrepreneurs will answer a few questions describing their business ideas, products or services; the markets they plan to serve; and why they believe customers will opt for their offerings over other options available to them. To apply, go to www.impact307.org/sheridan and scroll to “2021 Start-Up Challenge Application.”

The 2020 challenge was a success despite the hurdles of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inability to have a live public event for Pitch Night, says Scot Rendall, IMPACT Sheridan director.

“Instead of a public event, we livestreamed the finalist presentations and had over 700 views to the stream, and over 330 audience choice votes,” Rendall says. “Interest in the Sheridan Start-Up Challenge increases every year, and the community does a wonderful job supporting the event and the entrepreneurs.”

A panel of community judges, many of them entrepreneurs, will select the top 10 startup businesses for the semifinal round. Five finalists will be chosen to work with IMPACT Sheridan to further develop their plans and prepare their presentations for Pitch Night, which is scheduled Wednesday, Nov. 10,  at the WYO Theater in Sheridan.

The Sheridan Start-Up Challenge is made possible through the support of Sheridan County, the city of Sheridan, the Wyoming Business Council, and the Homer and Mildred Scott Foundation.

For more information, call Rendall at (307) 675-1939 or email srendall@uwyo.edu.