The IYA Venture Showcase 2024, hosted by USC Iovine and Young Academy, spotlights emerging ideas from the next generation of purpose-driven innovators and entrepreneurs at the Academy. Our dynamic program focuses on cultivating innovation at the potent intersection of technology, design, business, culture and community, giving student and alumni companies the opportunity to present their products, services, and technologies to industry investors and leaders for funding and a lightning round of feedback. Some participating companies will also have the chance to win prizes that aim to propel their ventures to the next stage of their founder journey. These two signature prizes include: 

IYA Social Impact Prize: Celebrating ventures that make a meaningful and positive impact on society.

IYA Innovation Prize: Recognizing ventures that demonstrate outstanding creativity and innovation.

Join us for this can’t-miss event, learn from new and seasoned entrepreneurs, and experience a diverse, creative community like none other.

Where: Iovine and Young Hall. Parking information and Zoom link available upon request.

How to Attend: For additional information, please contact Danielle Boutier, boutier@usc.edu

The 2023-2024 Innovation Quest has been an exciting journey so far, starting with the Founders Bootcamp in October '23, followed by the Ignite Grants awarded in December '23. Now, we're gearing up for the 2024 Venture Showcase, a significant highlight of this innovative quest. This event is the capstone to our year-long journey of creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation, and founder community building at IYA. 

Learn more about this year's participating companies HERE!

The IYA Venture Showcase seeks to discover and invest in early-stage ventures whose ideas have the potential for significant and scalable impact.

Applications are now closed. Venture Showcase applications were open to all Iovine and Young Academy undergraduates and graduate students. Additionally, we invite recent IYA alumni from the classes of 2023 and 2022 to apply and be featured alongside all the presentations. Note: Alumni-led ventures are not eligible for a cash prize. 

This year, we are excited to introduce two new prizes to recognize and reward the exceptional talent within the IYA community:

We accepted applications in 3 categories:

Embracing IYA’s intersectional challenge-based learning principles, the Innovation Quest takes learning and entrepreneurial growth from the classroom to the boardroom and beyond, empowering founders, fostering innovation, and creating a lasting impact within the IYA and Trojan community.

Applications for the Venture Showcase are due by Sunday, February 25, at 11:59 pm. Please note that the Social Impact and  Innovation prizes can only be awarded to teams with a lead who is a registered IYA undergraduate or graduate student to be eligible.

All applications will be thoroughly reviewed by a diverse council of faculty and industry leaders. The Innovation Quest is co-led by Business of Innovation faculty Tina Sharkey, Chris Swain, JM Arnoult. 

Witness industry thought-leading panelists and IYA founders in action and gain insights into the Venture Showcase experience through the video from 2023's event below! 

IYA Venture Showcase 2023

Academy graduates are launching new ventures and startups at unprecedented rates, with student startups garnering significant venture funding and industry recognition. Here's a snapshot of recent startups to come out of the Academy.  

Feast Fearlessly: Nomi is the Digital Menu Restaurants Have Been Waiting For

Finding Purpose in Repurpose: An alum Gives Foam a Second Life

Virtual Reality Design For All: How Playbook is Simplifying VR Creation

Transforming the Way Content Creators Do Business

Academy Freshman Builds Startup on the Cutting Edge of Decentralized Finance

Y Combinator-Backed Project Wren Aiming to Make Carbon Offsets More Consumer Friendly

IYA Venture Showcase spotlights emerging ventures from the next generation of purpose-driven innovators and entrepreneurs at the Academy. Select student startups pitch their bold ideas to a live audience and a panel of advisors for funding and a lightning round of feedback.

IYA Venture Showcase

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