Submit Ideas Now for the CofC AI Innovation Challenge
CofC undergraduates are encouraged to submit their AI-powered ideas to the 2025 AI Innovation Challenge!
Do you have a bold and innovative idea for utilizing AI? The College of Charleston Center for Entrepreneurship and the College of Charleston Founders Club are offering you the chance to take the next big step in AI – and win up to $5,000!
The AI Innovation Challenge is designed to inspire innovation and entrepreneurial thinking in AI by College of Charleston undergraduate students. Students will pitch high-potential business ideas that apply AI to solve real business problems.
Full-time College of Charleston undergraduates from any discipline are encouraged to submit their AI-powered ideas for the 2025 AI Innovation Challenge by Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. Students may apply as individuals or as a team (max. 3 students).
Students are encouraged to use AI tools throughout their process, from researching a problem to brainstorming innovative solutions to refining their pitch deck. Judges will value seeing both the idea and the effort put into its development.
Semifinalists will be announced on Oct. 24 and will make their pitches on Nov. 3 and 10. Six finalist teams will be selected to pitch their AI-powered ideas to a panel of judges at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20, in the Beatty Center Wells Fargo Auditorium.
FAQ
What are the Contest Rules?
- Open to all full-time undergrads at the College of Charleston (any discipline)
- Teams of 1-3 students
- Only one application per team
What is the Timeline?
- Application Deadline: Oct. 3
- Semifinalists Announced: Oct. 24
- Semifinalist Pitches: Nov. 3 & Nov. 10
- Final Pitches: Nov. 20
What are the Prizes?
- First Place: $5,000
- Second Place: $2,500
- Third Place: $1,500
- Audience Favorite: $1,000
Total Prize Pool: $10,000
How to Apply, and What Six Slides to Submit?
Apply online by Oct. 3, 2025. Application slides should include the following information:
- Title slide with student name(s)
- Problem
- Solution
- AI innovation (what tools were used)
- How will this make money?
- What is the positive impact of this innovation?
All materials are due by Oct. 3, 2025.
What About Video?
A 60-second video describing the innovation is optional. All materials are due by Oct. 3, 2025.
What about the final pitches?
- Six teams will be invited to the AI Innovation final presentation on Nov. 20, 2025, in the Beatty Center Wells Fargo Auditorium.
- Each team will pitch to three experienced judges.
- Each team will have four minutes to pitch and four minutes of question time.
To apply, please complete the 2025 AI Innovation Challenge application form.
For more information, contact David Wyman, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, associate chair of the Department of Management and Marketing and associate professor of entrepreneurship at the College of Charleston.
