At the School of Business, competitions like the Duquesne New Venture Challenge, Supply Chain Management Case Competition, Data for Difference Making Challenge, and Steel City Sales Challenge give students the opportunity to apply their skills to real-world challenges.
These hands-on experiences build critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills that prepare students to succeed in today’s business landscape.
7th Annual Duquesne New Venture Challenge
Five innovative startups have been selected as finalists in the 2025–2026 Duquesne New Venture Challenge (DNVC), the School’s annual business plan competition. Now in its seventh year, the DNVC has gained national recognition for advancing innovation and helping emerging founders refine their ideas, receive mentorship from experienced business leaders and present their ventures to industry experts.
The five finalist teams include:
- Accelowave Technologies, Inc. – Revolutionary solutions designed to enhance the quality of life for individuals with swallowing disorders.
- HeadStrait Labs – Medical device company redefining how patients with suspected central nervous system injuries are stabilized and monitored during emergency.
- Peachy Day – Integrative migraine care app with AI-powered health tracking, wellness coaching and neurologist telehealth.
- SafeSock – Sensor-lined foot sleeve that continuously delivers haptic biofeedback for patients who have undergone lower-limb surgery.
- TrainingU* – Web-based marketplace where younger athletes can find and book one-on-one, personalized and affordable training sessions with NCAA athletes.
(*Denotes a team that includes Duquesne students or alumni.)
Finalists will submit an executive summary, full business plan, and slide presentation before presenting their ventures to a live panel of distinguished judges. To prepare for the final round, teams will receive access to Bob’s Launch Pad, the School’s makerspace within the Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, along with 15 hours of mentoring from the Duquesne University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and complimentary access to LivePlan®, a leading business planning platform.
More than $41,000 in cash prizes will be awarded, with the top three teams also receiving legal services through the Thomas R. Kline School of Law and consulting support through the SBDC.
Winners will be announced at the DNVC Awards Reception later this spring in Rockwell Hall on Duquesne University’s campus.
Hosted annually by the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business, the DNVC is a three-stage national business plan competition open to startups less than four years old, providing entrepreneurs with mentorship, resources, and a platform to showcase innovative ventures. To learn more about the DNVC, contact Staci Offutt at offuttsFREEDUQUESNE.
The competition is supported by Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC.
News Information
The School hosted the 4th Annual Supply Chain Management Case Competition, where student teams from 11 regional universities competed to solve a real-world
business challenge presented by Howmet Aerospace. The case focused on tariff-related supply chain strategy, requiring teams to develop
and present recommendations to a panel of industry judges. Industry professionals from organizations including MSA Safety, Fastenal, Kraft Heinz,
and Armada Supply Chain Solutions served as judges, evaluating the teams’ strategic
recommendations and presentations.
4th Annual Supply Chain Management Case Competition
Congratulations to Duquesne students Romeo Jaramillo, Benjamin Irwin, Jonathan Maier,
and Max Nicolussi on placing 2nd (pictured above from left to right)
The School hosted the 3rd Annual Data for Difference Making Challenge (DDMC) in partnership with Dollar Bank and Exceliates in October 2025. Graduate students representing Duquesne’s 10 colleges and schools worked in teams
throughout the five-day challenge, applying their creativity, analytical skills, and
problem-solving abilities to develop thoughtful and viable solutions grounded in data. The DDMC continues to highlight the School’s commitment to experiential learning by
giving students the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines while tackling real-world
challenges through analytics and strategic thinking. Undergraduate students from universities across the country competed in the 9th Annual Steel City Sales Challenge (SCSC), a two-day virtual competition designed to showcase the next generation of sales
talent while connecting students with leading employers. Held on October 23–24, 2025,
the competition featured two tracks: a sales role-play competition and an elevator
pitch challenge. Presented by the School’s Center for Leadership in Professional Selling in partnership with Ally Financial, the event drew a record-breaking 167 competitors representing 17 universities nationwide.
Students competed for more than $15,000 in prize money while demonstrating the professional
selling skills that today’s employers seek.
3rd Annual Data for Difference Making Challenge
9th Annual Steel City Sales Challenge