CAMPUS LEAD PACKET · SEASON I · 2026–27
Everything you need to bring the League to your campus.
The facts, your ten weeks, a pitch in three lengths, six email templates, announcements for every channel, the questions you will get, and every tutorial. Copy anything here and make it yours.
You are reading the short version. Tighter emails, announcements, and answers, built to be sent as they are.
I want the more in-depth versionThe League in one page
- What it is
- America's first statewide collegiate entrepreneurship league. A season, not a pitch competition: student founders build in public from September to May and are scored on what they do.
- Who runs it
- The Founders League Institute. Kevin Mackey is the Founding League Commissioner. Each of the ten founding universities appoints a campus lead.
- The prize
- $575,000 in non-dilutive capital: $500,000 to the State Champion on May 19, 2027, and $25,000 to each of three Regional Champions in March. No equity, ever.
- Who can enter
- Any student at a founding university, or a graduate within one year if the venture was founded while enrolled. Student-founded and student-led. Any venture type except life sciences in Season I.
- How scoring works
- Founders report real numbers, which become a Traction Score. Ventures climb five stages, each ending in a Final Challenge a League official verifies. At the championships, judges are 60 percent, traction 30, Scouts 10.
- Scouts
- Students, faculty, staff, and alumni can all be Scouts: five picks, no money involved. Scouts score the points their picks earn.
- Cost to students
- Nothing. Registration is free and the League never takes equity.
Your role, and the season
Between October 1 and January 15, get every strong student venture on your campus registered and reach out to every new one within a week. Season One League begins January 15 for the full field, and you nominate 10 to 15 for the Regional Championships by February 26. The Selection Committee sees the record, not the pitch, so early registration and steady reporting are what you are really driving.
| October | Sign in to MyCampus. Register the ventures you know. Send the founder email and ask faculty to forward it. |
| November | Class announcements and the newsletter blurb. Reach out to every new venture within a week. Recruit Scouts. |
| December | Review profiles. Push founders to keep posting updates; the record they build now carries into league play. |
| Early January | Last push for registrations. Season One League begins January 15, and weekly reporting is required from then. |
| Jan 15 to Feb 26 | League play. Watch the leaderboard, nominate the clear yeses as you go, and confirm every nomination by February 26: 12 per region, 36 in all. |
The pitch, in three lengths
Ten seconds
Ohio's student founders now have a league. Register your venture, build all season, and compete for $575,000 with no equity taken.
Thirty seconds
The Ohio Founders League is America's first statewide collegiate entrepreneurship league, and [University] is one of ten founding universities. It is a season, not a pitch night: register once, report your real progress, climb five stages, and the best ventures compete in March and May for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. No equity, no fees. Registration takes ten minutes at ohiofoundersleague.org, and every registered venture enters league play on January 15.
Two minutes: the six points, in order
- It rewards what you do, not one good afternoon. Progress updates, stage challenges, and verified Final Challenges become a Traction Score.
- Everyone starts fair. You are placed at a stage from what you have already built and ranked against ventures that started there.
- It is a statewide stage: three Regional Championships, Selection Sunday, and a State Championship on May 19, 2027.
- The money is real and clean: $500,000 to the State Champion, $25,000 to each Regional Champion, no equity taken.
- The whole campus can play. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni register as Scouts, pick five ventures, and score what those ventures earn.
- Your campus gets a record: every venture, every stage, every update, on one leaderboard with the other nine founding universities.
Email templates
Replace the bracketed parts. Send from your own university address; a message from you reaches people the League never will.
To: Student founders you know
Subject: Register [venture] in the Ohio Founders League
Hi [First name], [University] is a founding university of the Ohio Founders League, and I thought of [venture] right away. Register once, report your progress, climb five stages, and compete in March and May for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. No equity, no fees. Every registered venture enters league play on January 15, and our campus nominates for the Regional Championships by February 26. The committee reads the record, so the earlier you start the stronger your case. Register (about ten minutes): https://ohiofoundersleague.org/venture/register Founder guide: https://ohiofoundersleague.org/learn/founders Reply and I will make sure you are on my list. [Your name] Campus Lead, [University]
To: Faculty and staff, asking them to forward
Subject: Please forward to any student who is building something
Hi [First name], [University] is a founding university of the Ohio Founders League, a statewide season in which student founders compete for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. I am our campus lead. I am looking for founders outside the entrepreneurship program: the student with a side business, the lab team with a prototype. If you know one, please forward this or send me their name. For students: any [University] student with a venture, at any stage, can register in ten minutes at https://ohiofoundersleague.org/venture/register. No equity taken. League play opens January 15; our campus nominates for the Regional Championships by February 26. Thank you. [Your name] Campus Lead, [University]
To: Student organizations
Subject: Compete for $575,000, or back the founders who do
Hi [First name], [University] is a founding university of the Ohio Founders League, and I am asking [Organization] for two things. Members with a venture can register in ten minutes at https://ohiofoundersleague.org/venture/register. No equity, no fees, and a real shot at $575,000. Everyone else can play as a Scout: pick five ventures, score what they earn, no money involved. Register at https://ohiofoundersleague.org/scout/register. Could I have five minutes at your next meeting? [Your name] Campus Lead, [University]
To: Alumni, to become Scouts
Subject: Back a [University] founder this season
Hi [First name], [University] student founders are competing all season in the Ohio Founders League for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. Alumni can help in a way that costs nothing. Register as a Scout. Pick five [University] ventures, and every point they earn after you pick them is a point for you. No money involved. Founders can also find you for an intro, and one intro can change a company. Two minutes: https://ohiofoundersleague.org/scout/register [Your name] Campus Lead, [University]
To: Your dean or president
Subject: Ohio Founders League: where [University] stands
[Name], [University] is one of ten founding universities of the Ohio Founders League, America's first statewide collegiate entrepreneurship league. Student founders register, report progress, and climb five verified stages; the best compete in March and on May 19, 2027 for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. No equity taken. League play opens to the full field on January 15, 2027, and our campus nominates for the Regional Championships by February 26. As of today we have [N] ventures registered and [N] nominated, [Nth] of ten on campus points. I will send a short update every two weeks. https://ohiofoundersleague.org [Your name]
To: All founders, two weeks before league play begins
Subject: Two weeks to January 15
Hi [First name], Season One League begins January 15. From that date, weekly reporting is required for any venture pursuing the State Championship. Registered: keep posting updates. The committee reads the record. Not yet: ten minutes at https://ohiofoundersleague.org/venture/register, and I will review your profile the same week. [Your name] Campus Lead, [University]
Announcements for every channel
Newsletter or website blurb (60 words)
[University] is a founding university of the Ohio Founders League, America's first statewide collegiate entrepreneurship league. Student founders register once, report progress, climb five verified stages, and compete for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. No equity, no fees. Register in ten minutes at ohiofoundersleague.org, or play as a Scout. League play opens January 15. Contact [Your name] at [email].
Class announcement, 20 seconds spoken
Quick one. Ohio now has a founders league, and we are a founding university. If you are building anything, register it in ten minutes at ohiofoundersleague.org and compete all year for five hundred and seventy five thousand dollars, no equity taken. Not building? Be a Scout: pick five ventures and score what they earn. League play opens January fifteenth. Email me at [email].
Lecture slide text
OHIO FOUNDERS LEAGUE · SEASON I [University] is a founding university. Have a venture? Register in 10 minutes. No equity. $575,000 in prizes. No venture? Be a Scout. Pick five, score what they earn. ohiofoundersleague.org · League play opens Jan 15 · [Your name], [email]
LinkedIn post, campus lead's voice
[University] is one of ten founding universities of the Ohio Founders League, and I am our campus lead. It is a season, not a pitch night. Student founders register once, report real progress, and climb five verified stages. In March and May the best compete for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. No equity, ever. Students with a venture: register at ohiofoundersleague.org, ten minutes. Alumni: register as a Scout, pick five, no money involved. League play opens January 15. #OhioFoundersLeague
Instagram, X, or Slack, three short versions
1. Building something at [University]? Register in 10 minutes and compete all season for $575,000. No equity, ever. ohiofoundersleague.org 2. [University] is in the Ohio Founders League. Founders: register now; league play opens Jan 15. Everyone else: be a Scout, pick five, score what they earn. ohiofoundersleague.org 3. One season. Five stages. $575,000. Zero equity. [University] is in. ohiofoundersleague.org
Flyer or poster text
STAY. BUILD. WIN. Ohio Founders League · Season I · 2026–27 [University] is a founding university. FOUNDERS Register in 10 minutes. Climb five stages. Compete for $575,000. No equity, ever. SCOUTS Pick five ventures. Score what they earn. No money involved. ohiofoundersleague.org · League play opens January 15, 2027 Campus lead: [Your name] · [email]
The questions you will get
- Does the League take equity?
- No. Prizes are non-dilutive grants. No equity, warrants, or revenue share, ever.
- What does it cost a student?
- Nothing.
- Who is eligible?
- Any student at a founding university, or a graduate within one year if the venture was founded while enrolled. Student-founded and student-led. No life sciences in Season I.
- My venture is just an idea. Should I still register?
- Yes. Ventures are placed at a stage from what exists today, Stage 0 (idea) to Stage 4 (scaling), and ranked against ventures that started at the same stage.
- How much time does it take?
- Registration is about ten minutes. A progress update is five minutes, posted whenever there is something to report before January 15 and weekly during league play.
- What is a Traction Score?
- Points from progress updates, stage challenges, verified Final Challenges, and money milestones.
- How are nominations decided?
- Every registered venture plays from January 15. Each campus lead nominates 10 to 15 ventures for the Regional Championships by February 26, and the Selection Committee reviews the record to select 12 per region, 36 in all.
- What does a Regional Championship venture get?
- A League mentor and a place at a Regional Championship in March, 12 per region. Ten finalists compete for the State Championship on May 19.
- What is a Scout?
- Anyone on campus who backs ventures with five picks and scores the points those picks earn. No money is involved at any point.
- Can faculty and staff participate?
- As Scouts, mentors, and advisors, yes. They cannot register a venture unless they are also a student.
Tutorials and tools
Print Library
One-pagers for everyone, founders, and Scouts, an 11 × 17 flyer, and the overview deck for leadership. Each with the Season I timeline and QR codes.
Campus Lead Briefing
Two minutes: how the platform works, your portal, and what happens at launch.
Campus Lead Guide
The MyCampus playbook: what you do, how it works, and why. Read online, print the PDF, or watch the five-minute walkthrough.
Founder Guide
Give this to founders. Registration, the Traction Score, progress updates, challenges, Final Challenges, and the Score Sandbox.
Scout Guide
Give this to students, staff, and alumni who want to play. Five slots, no money, and how founders find them.
Links to hand out
| Season site | https://ohiofoundersleague.org |
| Founder registration | https://ohiofoundersleague.org/venture/register |
| Scout registration | https://ohiofoundersleague.org/scout/register |
| MyCampus sign-in | https://ohiofoundersleague.org/campus/login |
| All guides | https://ohiofoundersleague.org/learn |
| Commissioner | kevin@ohiofoundersleague.org |
Key dates, Season I
| Sept 29, 2026 | Public announcement. Registration opens for founders and Scouts. |
| Oct 1, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027 | Campus Activation Phase. Pre-season: campuses activate and ventures register. No cutoff, no selection. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Season One League begins. League play opens to the full field. Live scoring and weekly reporting are required from this date for any venture pursuing the State Championship. |
| Jan 15 to Feb 26, 2027 | League play. Six weeks of live scoring and weekly reporting. |
| Feb 26, 2027 | Regional nomination deadline. 12 ventures selected per region, 36 in all. |
| Mar 9 to 11, 2027 | Regional Championships: Tuesday Cincinnati, Wednesday Columbus, Thursday Cleveland. 12 ventures present at each. $25,000 to each Regional Champion. |
| Mar 14, 2027 | Selection Sunday. The ten finalists named. |
| May 5, 2027 | Blackout. Scores frozen. |
| May 19, 2027 | State Championship. The ten finalists compete. One State Champion, $500,000. |
Questions any time: Kevin Mackey, Founding League Commissioner, kevin@ohiofoundersleague.org.