Hosted by the Center for Leadership Education, HopStart: Hopkins New Venture Challenge (formerly the JHU Business Plan Competition) is an annual startup competition that challenges Johns Hopkins students to develop a business plan around a novel idea and pitch their plan to industry leaders.
Throughout two stages of competition held during the spring of each year, students build an understanding of their target market and competitors, craft an effective market entry strategy, and present their plans to industry professionals on competition day.
Student Enrollment & Team Composition
For all categories, teams may include both Johns Hopkins University students (undergraduate, graduate and/or post-docs) and non-JHU affiliates; however, at least one team member must meet BOTH of the following requirements:
- Be a current part-time, full-time, or Postdoctoral student of any of the nine divisions of Johns Hopkins University at any point during the current academic year.
- Be a member of the venture’s startup management team.
All categories are open to entries from any division of Johns Hopkins and members of teams can span more than one division of the university.
Feb. 14, 2024 – Registration Closes
Feb. 18, 2024 – Stage 1, Round 1 Submission Deadline
Feb. 21 – March 3, 2024 – Round 1 Mentorship Window
March 17, 2024 – Stage 1, Round 2 Submission Deadline
March 26 – April 7, 2024 – Round 2 Mentorship Window
April 15-24, 2024 – Pitch Mentorship Window
April 26, 2024 – Competition Day