A closer look at Concordia Nebraska’s Concordia Catalyst Competition (C3)

Concordia University, Nebraska’s Concordia Catalyst Competition (C3) is a multi-part event that spans months. Mentor Night occurs prior to the fall Pitch Competition and the spring Business Plan Competition. C3 was created to provide practical experience for those formulating and executing business plan ideas and is open to high school students, community members, current Concordia Nebraska students and alumni of the university. 

“This event supports students who are entrepreneurial in spirit. They’ve got a business idea, so we get them together with local business mentors. They share emails, they share contact information, they share ideas. This networking helps students take their ideas and make them better,” said Concordia Nebraska C3 Program Liaison and Associate Vice President of Graduate Enrollment and Operations Jon Krause. 

The event is multifaceted: 

• The Seward County Chamber & Development Partnership offers fall semester and spring semester Mentor Nights where competitors can meet with business leaders in Seward County and receive feedback and advice for moving forward to a fully functioning business. This event takes place off campus. 

• The fall semester Pitch Competition allows competitors to develop an idea for a business, conduct market research and receive about two minutes to pitch their idea. Participants compete in a semi-final round judged by area business leaders, Concordia Nebraska faculty, staff or other guest judges. The top four to six finalists are chosen to participate in the Pitch Competition finals judged by local and regional business leaders.  

• The spring Business Plan Competition allows individuals up to 10 minutes to add financial analysis and other market and business research from the Pitch Competition to demonstrate the viability and legitimacy of their proposed business idea.  All participants compete in the semi-finals round and the top three to four participants compete in the finals.  

This spring’s Business Plan Competition winners included  

• First Place: Nathaniel Sizer and David Marin 

• Second Place: Lane Schoff 

• Third Place: Mark Arp 

• Fourth Place: Cael Washburn  

Krause said the events have fostered great relationships between the university and the greater Seward schools and business community. 

“While one of the goals is to get these students to flesh out ideas for their entrepreneurship classes, the goal is also to mentor and get these folks connected and excited. We want them to implement their great ideas, preferably in Seward County. Plus, there’s an opportunity to win cash prizes, and a number of organizations have also offered up in-kind donations like free rent in a downtown Seward business space, consulting services, free marketing and other things.” 

The Concordia Catalyst Competition has taken place for five academic years and is supported by the University’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 

“We have a lot of community involvement. Judges could be anyone from Concordia Nebraska professors to local business owners to Nebraska state senator Jana Hughes, whose kids went to Seward High School,” said Krause. “Although the competition is open to anyone, we see a lot of business majors  participating, as well as some in the ag program and Uzziah Scholars at the University. There are some from computer programming as well. But there are opportunities for all students. Are you looking to go into missions? You may develop some ideas for fundraising. There are applications for church work, art, and so many other majors, too. It’s open to everyone.” 

Concordia Nebraska’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) empowers students to bring business ideas to life, from conception to launch. Through hands-on projects, competitions and mentorship, IIE prepares students to succeed as entrepreneurs.