Rules and Resources
1. For Students, Staff, and Graduates (within 2 year)
All teams must have at least one co-founder who is a student, faculty member, or recent graduate (within 2 years from graduation) from one of the Danish universities* (AAU, AU, CBS, DTU, ITU, KU, RDA, SDU, RUC) at the time of submission. This person must also be the one pitching in the competition.
Full-time international students are also welcome to apply as long as they otherwise comply with the rules.
*Note that this does not include HHX, HTX and Gymnasium-level students, Business Academies, Maritime educational institutions, University colleges. Please refer to our sister organization, Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship.
2. Funding / Revenue and Innofounder
There is no funding or revenue cap when applying for the competition.
Please note: teams who have been, or are currently enrolled in the Innofounder program cannot apply. Teams currently applying to become part of the Innofounder program can apply.
3. It must be your own idea
Participants should possess the intellectual rights to their idea and it must not be considered “stolen”.
If your university owns the patent or the research your idea is based on, you need to explain in your plan how you will handle this situation. For instance, has the university agreed to let you exploit their patent in this way? Are they willing to sell you the patent?
4. Residency in Denmark
All teams must have at least one person who is a permanent resident of Denmark. This includes residents on temporary student visas.
5. Can I participate again?
Participants from previous competitions can participate again if they have significantly made progress in their startup. Category winners cannot apply again.
6. Confidential information
Members of Venture Cup staff have all signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
However, we advise that you avoid disclosing confidential information or specific technical descriptions of your business during the competition, since investors, competitors and the media may attend the public sessions.
7. When chosen as a category finalist...
At least one founder must attend our Semi-Finals and Award Show in Copenhagen (in-person). The person attending must be able to pitch the startup.
8. Prize Money
Teams are not required to have a Danish CVR number when they apply, but if they win, they will need a CVR in order to claim their cash prize within 12 months of winning.
9. Application
We highly recommend you to follow the application guide, that also covers the guidelines for the video upload. You should aim to write a 3-4 page application (IN ENGLISH) + video (IN ENGLISH).
The jury is not required to read more than the maximum of 4 pages. Venture Cup Denmark has the right to disqualify applications exceeding the maximum length.
Submissions must be in PDF file format, no more than 10MB file size, and clearly stating your business idea in the file name.
Formatting Guidelines:
A4 page (210 x 297 mm) Right/left margin: 2.5cm Top/bottom margin: 2.0cm. Recommended typefaces: Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Courier in font size 11
10. Please note we may ask participants to provide...
… information on their development during and after the competition when requested by Venture Cup Denmark. Examples of this include submitting surveys, testimonials, interviews, and being part of our alumni network.
11. Venture Cup Denmark decides when in doubt
In case of doubt, the Venture Cup Denmark management team makes the final decision in regards to any of the above rules.
12. Terms and Conditions
Any personal data relating to you gathered by Venture Cup Denmark in the registration process and during the competitions will be recorded internally, but not shared with any third parties. This will be in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Read more about how Venture Cup Denmak handles your information in our Privacy Policy.
