Big Bang! Connections, Workshops and Business Competition

StarBio 2020 Big Bang! winner founders wearing lab coats, smiling while holding large award checks outdoors on grassy hills

The Big Bang! provides a forum for innovators across California to collaborate, develop and test business ideas.

Changemakers for a better world.

2020 has certainly reminded us of the need for creative new solutions to our world's complex problems. 

The Big Bang! helps you to grow as an innovator, an entrepreneur and a leader. You'll find opportunities to connect with fellow innovators, learn and apply business concepts in our interactive educational workshops, build your team, grow your network—and compete for cash prizes.

Fast Facts
  • Big Bang! runs October through May.
  • The workshops are free and open to everyone.
  • You don’t have to enter the competition to attend biweekly Connections gatherings or participate in the workshops.
  • Our workshop library is free and available on demand.
  • Teams that register for the Big Bang! Business Competition must have at least one founder affiliated with an institution of higher education within the State of California. 
  • Competition finalists compete for cash prizes.
Woman student pitching startup in business competition.
UC Davis M.D./Ph.D student Anna Sadovnikova pitches LiquidGoldConcept. The startup makes realistic breast simulators to provide health professional students, hospital staff and patients with hands-on, comprehensive lactation education. 

Building a sustainable business is challenging. Big Bang! provided the opportunity to get feedback on our business model and plan for growth with objective third-party reviewers.

—Anna Sadovnikova | CEO and Co-founder, LiquidGoldConcept | UC Davis M.D./Ph.D. Student

Connect. Learn. Compete.

  • Connect with Aggie Innovators: Bi-weekly Brown Bags

  • Join us every other week for Connections—30-minutes of inspiration, networking and knowledge! You’ll meet people outside your major or field of study—a great way to start to build an interdisciplinary team with a diversity of strengths and knowledge.

    During each Connections, a “near peer” will give their startup’s pitch, share their experience in the Big Bang! Business Competition and/or Little Bang! Poster Competition, and offer real-world advice for getting the most out of the workshops and the competitions. Connections meets every other Tuesday at noon.

    Click here for details and to RSVP >

    Need help finding a team or team members? Visit the Slack workspace for UC Davis Team Formation at ucdavis-team-hub.slack.com. Those using a ucdavis.edu email address may join without an invitation. All others may request an invitation here.

  • Nourish Your Entrepreneurial Mindset: Workshop Series
  • Big Bang! workshops teach the knowledge and skills needed to move from concept to company—and to effectively compete in the Big Bang! Business Competition. You’ll learn to:

    > Define your problem and solution
    > Develop an elevator pitch
    > Evaluate the potential market
    > Develop a business model
    > Create a pitch presentation
    > Write a business summary

    Prior to the workshop, you’ll watch a 45-minute video; we’ll review the content at the start of the workshop. Most of our time will be devoted to hands-on, small group activities in breakout rooms to help you start to integrate and apply what you have learned.

    Zoom in ready to engage and grow through discussions, collaborative activities, and the energy and experience of meeting fellow innovators from across the UC Davis campus and throughout California. Big Bang! workshops are open, free of charge, to everyone. Click here for details and to register >
  • Put It into Practice: The Business Competition

  • Compete to win money and move your idea forward.Click here for competition deadlines >

    Participation in the Big Bang! Business Competition requires at least one founder to be affiliated with an institution of higher education within the State of California. Refer to competition guidelines on the competition’s Rules and Tools page for details.

    REGISTER TO COMPETE >

    Need help finding a team or team members? Visit the Slack workspace for UC Davis Team Formation at ucdavis-team-hub.slack.com. Those using a ucdavis.edu email address may join without an invitation. All others may request an invitation here.

students in a field holding various produce
Foodful.ly created a web-based service and mobile app that addresses the underlying causes of household food waste: forgetting already purchased foods, and not knowing how to cook them.

    “It’s amazing to see how far our teams can go. In October many of their ideas are just that: ideas. By May, with a ton of hard work, support and mentorship, many of these ideas are ready for prime-time as companies, licensed technologies or nonprofits.

    —Professor Andrew Hargadon

    Tags

    Entrepreneurship startup