Ole Cup

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, April 26, 2025

Launched in 2014, the Ole Cup is an annual student entrepreneurial pitch competition open to all St. Olaf students. The Ole Cup helped launch successful businesses like JonnyPops, Whiskey Woods, the Ole Thrift Shop, and The Shop 1500. The winner of the Ole Cup is awarded a $10,000 prize to help launch their business.

Ole Cup Origins

Brad Cleveland ’82 (1959-2016) wanted St. Olaf College students to realize how much fun it can be to be an entrepreneur— no matter what type of organization they’re interested in building. So Cleveland, former CEO of Proto Labs, helped the St. Olaf Piper Center for Vocation and Career develop and fund a new business plan competition. The Ole Cup is modeled after the highly successful Minnesota Cup and will provide several students with the resources to help turn their business idea into reality.

Get Started

2024 – Information & Requirements

Eligibility

1. Any individual or group of First-Year, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior students enrolled at St. Olaf at the time of application.
2. Applicants must be in good academic standing and have maintained professional conduct as a student.*
3. At least one member on the team must be between the ages of 19-30 on April 27, 2024.
4. The idea needs to be economically viable and it cannot violate or infringe on the copyright or intellectual property of another.

*Good academic standing means a minimum GPA of 2.0, not on academic probation or academically dismissed according to the Registrar’s Office. Professional conduct is vetted by the Dean of Students Office.

Ole Cup Timeline and Deadlines

There are two major deadlines for Ole Cup:

1. February 20, 2024 – Executive Summary
   The Executive Summary is a high-level description of your company (elevator pitch). It should be no longer than 100 words, and should include a basic description of your business idea, such as a problem statement and value proposition. Apply now!
2. March 15, 2024 – Business Plan
   The Business Plan should be between 10-15 pages and include: an overview of your product idea/venture, market analysis, business model, marketing plan, team, operations plan, and basic financial information (include an estimate of start-up costs and 1-3 year financial projections). Apply now!

Watch the Recording

2024 Ole Cup Prize Winners

First prize: $10,000 – Sunsor
Caleb Kaestner ’24

Second prize: $5,000 – ZeroHeat
Maroova Elkemary ’26, Markos Meytarjyan ’24

Third prize: $3,000 – Qantu
Leini Miranda Condori ’24

Social Impact prize: $5,000 – Share to Light
Immaculée Nizigiyimana Sifa ’24

People’s Choice Award: $1,000 – ZeroHeat
Maroova Elkemary ’26, Markos Meytarjyan ’24

Preparation Resources

View previous Ole Cup competitions, and learn more about past participants, including winners and judges: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024.

Use this tutorial on presentation fundamentals  and the Business Plan Basics template for additional guidance. More resources and Entrepreneurship workshop recordings are available here.

The winner of the Ole Cup automatically qualifies for the semi-final round of the Minnesota Cup student division where the winner (of the student division) is awarded $30,000, and can compete for the Minnesota Cup Grand Prize of $50,000.

Sign up for coaching through Handshake

If you have any questions, please contact Meghan McMillan at mcmill2@stolaf.edu