Paul Merage School of Business to host grand finale of Stella Zhang New Venture Competition

“EVENT: UC Irvine’s Stella Zhang New Venture Competition lets students, faculty, staff, researchers and community members launch startups, build teams and compete for over $100,000 in prizes. At the upcoming NVC grand finale, 10 teams will take the stage for the final round of a seven-month contest and present their pitches, products and proofs. Their work represents five tracks of entrepreneurship: business products and services, consumer products, consumer services, life sciences, and social enterprise and sustainability. WHEN/WHERE: 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, May 21, UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business SB1 Auditorium, 4293 Pereira Drive, Irvine (bldg. 222, grid D6 on campus map : https://web.communications.uci.edu/assets/email/dfa-tds/TDS-Website/maps/Main_UCIrvine-Map.pdf ) INFORMATION: Parking is available in the Social Sciences Parking Structure, near the intersection of Campus Drive and Stanford Court. The event is free and open to the public. Media planning to attend should contact Cara Capuano at 949-501-9192 or ccapuano@uci.edu. Parking is complimentary for media who RSVP in advance. All community members can register here : https://merage.uci.edu/news/2026/04/Come-See-What-UC-Irvine-Founders-Are-Building-Next.html BACKGROUND: The kickoff for the 2026 Stella Zhang New Venture Competition was on Oct. 22, 2025. Teams from every corner of campus have had seven months to refine their raw, innovative concepts into real business models. They’ve learned what entrepreneurship looks like in practice, applied go-to-market strategy and revenue modeling to their own ideas, and faced the hardest question any founder eventually has to answer: Does this actually work? The NVC offers contestants opportunities to connect with investors, founders and business leaders; expert mentorship from entrepreneurs, faculty and industry leaders; and ownership and control of their ideas. Thanks to the generosity of entrepreneur Stella Zhang, MBA ’05, up to $100,000 in non-dilutive funding will be awarded at the grand finale. Any team in the top 10 can win up to $30,000. ### For UC Irvine breaking news, visit news.uci.edu.

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