The Lee Business School at UNLV and the Ted and Doris Lee Family Foundation based in Nevada just announced their global competition for the $1M Lee Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the goal of discovering solutions & providing funding for innovative ideas that can be rapidly brought to market to address post-COVID-19 challenges. The competition is intended to encourage universities and the business community to collaborate in finding a safe way for employees to return to work.
Submissions are now open through July 5th for companies, faculty, students, and/or individuals and groups focusing on the casino, food & beverage, hospitality, sports & entertainment, and travel industries, specifically addressing what they will face in the post COVID-19 pandemic world. Final presentations will be made from August 24th through September 11th with the $1 million in prize allocated by the judges for maximum impact.
Eligibility requirements outlined by the competition are:
- You or your company have not already raised more than $5,000,000 in capital.
- Your existing company is pivoting your manufacturing or business model to support the needs of the casino, food & beverage, hospitality, sports and entertainment, and travel industries.
- You are an existing provider to the casino, food & beverage, hospitality, sports & entertainment, and travel industries seeking the access to the new relationships and capital required to launch a new product.
- You must submit a pitch deck, not to exceed 12 pages. Click here for the sample pitch deck criteria.
A committee composed of the Deans of UNLV’s schools of Business, Science, Engineering and Hospitality, along with renowned industry leaders will judge the competition, having backgrounds in hospitality, entertainment, and travel industries. The panel includes Bill Hornbuckle Acting Chief Executive Officer and President MGM Resorts International and Wolfgang Puck.
It is estimated that over 330 million people globally are employed in these industries.
Read about another Student and Non-Student Competition
