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Big Bang! Prizes

Outdo the Competition!

The 2024 Big Bang! Business Competition will award up to $100,000+ in prize money, with additional in-kind prizes. We are very grateful to our sponsors.

The diversity of backgrounds and thoughts that the Big Bang! brought in pushed me to reimagine how I saw the world around me. ... Through being introduced to new ideas and people, I was able to push my learning beyond what was in the textbooks."

Nishi Bhagat | UC Davis Computational Cognitive Science Major | Co-Founder, Caregiva | $10,000 Social Entrepreneurship Award, 2023 Big Bang! Business Competition

headshot of an undergraduate student holding up a cell phone opened to her app
Caregiva won the Social Entrepreneurship Award in the 2023 Big Bang! The team is using the money for product development and marketing. “As we continue to iterate, we hope to scale to reach caregivers of different backgrounds, especially in the areas that are underserved and don’t have proper support,” said co-founder Nishi Bhagat. 

2024 Big Bang! Business Competition Awards

First Place Co-Sponsor: DLA Piper Top innovation across all categories $25,000
Food + Agriculture Sector Award

Supporting Sponsor: UC Davis Innovation
Institute for Food and Health

For innovations in food and agriculture

$12,500

Animal Health + Industry Sector Award

Primary Sponsor: UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

For innovations in animal health $12,500
Human Health + Industry Sector Award

Sole Sponsor: UC Davis School of Medicine

For innovations in human health $12,500
Education + Education Tools Sector Award

Sole Sponsor: PowerSchool

For innovations in education $12,500
Energy + Sustainability Sector Award

Primary Sponsor: SMUD

Supporting Sponsor: Blue Tech Valley

For innovations in energy efficiency $12,500
Social Entrepreneurship Sector Award

Sole Sponsor: UC Davis Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

For innovations in social entrepreneurship $12,500

Incubator / Accelerator Residencies:

     

Six-month membership with one lab bench space in the Lab@AgStart.

AgStart
Food, Ag and Health Incubator in Woodland
Offered to top food, ag and/or health innovation $5,000 value
Six-month membership to access lab equipment and collaborative workspace in Davis. HM.CLAUSE
Life Science Innovation Center in Davis
Offered to top life science innovation, ranging from ag tech to human therapeutics $5,000 value
Six-month membership with access to lab equipment and collaborative workspace. Inventopia
Engineering and Life Science Incubator in Davis
Offered to top engineering and/or life science innovation $5,000 value

Awards Ceremony Sponsor

Bow Capital

Overall Sponsors

Blackstone LaunchPad

Pam Marrone and Mick Rogers

Oobli

UC Davis College of Engineering

VSP Global Innovation Center