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 in-depth version. Fuller emails, announcements, and answers, for when the person you are writing to wants the whole picture.
Back to the short 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 actually do.
- Who runs it
- The Founders League Institute. Kevin Mackey is the Founding League Commissioner. Ten founding universities each appoint 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, no warrants, no revenue share, ever.
- Who can enter
- Any undergraduate or graduate student at a founding university, or a graduate within one year if the venture was founded while enrolled. Student-founded and student-led, majority student ownership. Any venture type except life sciences for Season I.
- How scoring works
- Founders post progress updates with real numbers, which become a Traction Score. Ventures climb five stages, each ending in a Final Challenge that a League official verifies. At the championships, judges are 60 percent, traction 30, and Scouts 10.
- Scouts
- Anyone at a university can be a Scout: students, faculty, staff, alumni. Five portfolio slots, no money involved. Scouts score the points their picks earn and are ten percent of League Scoring.
- 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 already know and chase founders to verify. Send the founder email to your list. Ask faculty and your entrepreneurship center to forward it. |
| November | Class announcements and the newsletter blurb go out. Reach out to every venture that appears as New within a week. Recruit Scouts from student orgs and alumni. |
| December | Review profiles. Set Watching or Not nominating with a reason. Push founders to keep posting updates, since the record they build now is what the committee sees in February. |
| Early January | Final push for registrations before Season One League begins on January 15. From that date, weekly reporting is required for any venture pursuing the State Championship. |
| Jan 15 to Feb 26 | League play. Six weeks of live scoring. Nominate the clear yeses as you go, check your count against the 10 to 15 guideline, and confirm every nomination by February 26. The Selection Committee picks 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 in public 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 the ten founding universities. It is a season, not a pitch night: you register once, report your real progress as you make it, 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, with our campus nominating for the Regional Championships by February 26.
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 that investors can trust.
- Everyone starts fair. You are placed at a stage from what you have already built, and you are ranked against ventures that started where you did.
- 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, and the League never takes equity.
- The whole campus can play. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni register as Scouts, pick five ventures, and score what those ventures earn. No money changes hands.
- 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 your venture in the Ohio Founders League (10 minutes, no equity)
Hi [First name], [University] is a founding university of the Ohio Founders League, America's first statewide collegiate entrepreneurship league, and I am our campus lead. I thought of [venture] right away. Here is how it works. You register once, then post progress updates with your real numbers. That becomes a Traction Score. Ventures climb five stages, each ending in a Final Challenge that a League official verifies. In March and May the best ventures compete for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. No equity, no fees. Every registered venture enters league play on January 15, and our campus nominates its strongest ventures for the Regional Championships by February 26. The committee looks at the record, not the pitch, so the earlier you register and the more updates you post, the stronger your case. Register here, it takes about ten minutes: https://ohiofoundersleague.org/venture/register The founder guide and a five-minute walkthrough: https://ohiofoundersleague.org/learn/founders Reply to this email and I will make sure you are on my list. [Your name] Campus Lead, [University] Ohio Founders League
To: Faculty and staff, asking them to forward
Subject: Please forward to any student who is building something
Hi [First name], [University] is one of ten founding universities of the Ohio Founders League, a statewide season in which student founders build in public from September to May and compete for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. I am our campus lead. I need help finding founders who are not already in the entrepreneurship program: the student with a side business, the lab team with a prototype, the club that is really a company. If you know one, please forward the paragraph below or send me their name. For students: The Ohio Founders League is open to any [University] student with a venture, at any stage from idea to revenue. Register once, report your progress, climb stages, and compete for $575,000 with no equity taken. Registration takes ten minutes at https://ohiofoundersleague.org/venture/register. League play opens January 15; our campus nominates for the Regional Championships by February 26. Thank you. A forwarded email from you reaches students I never will. [Your name] Campus Lead, [University] Ohio Founders League
To: Student organizations
Subject: Your members can 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] to help in two ways. First, any member with a venture can register for the season: ten minutes at https://ohiofoundersleague.org/venture/register, no equity, no fees, and a real shot at $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. League play opens January 15; our campus nominates for the Regional Championships by February 26. Second, every member can play as a Scout. Scouts pick five ventures for their portfolio and score the points those ventures earn. No money is involved. Scouts are ten percent of the scoring at the championships, so a campus that turns out Scouts carries its founders onto the stage. Register at https://ohiofoundersleague.org/scout/register. Could I have five minutes at your next meeting? I will bring the two-minute video. [Your name] Campus Lead, [University] Ohio Founders League
To: Alumni, to become Scouts
Subject: Back a [University] founder this season. Five picks, no money.
Hi [First name], [University] is a founding university of the Ohio Founders League, America's first statewide collegiate entrepreneurship league. Our student founders are competing all season for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital, and alumni can help in a way that costs nothing. Register as a Scout. You get five portfolio slots. Pick the [University] ventures you believe in, and every point they earn after you pick them is a point for you. There is no money involved at any stage. Scouts are ten percent of the scoring at the championships, so your picks help our founders onto the stage. Scouts can also publish a profile: what you know, how you want to help. Founders search it, and a single intro from you can change a company. It takes two minutes at https://ohiofoundersleague.org/scout/register. [Your name] Campus Lead, [University] Ohio Founders League
To: Your dean or president, a one-paragraph brief
Subject: Ohio Founders League: where [University] stands
[Name], A short brief on the Ohio Founders League. [University] is one of ten founding universities of America's first statewide collegiate entrepreneurship league. Student founders register once, report their progress, and climb five verified stages; the best compete at three Regional Championships in March and a State Championship on May 19, 2027, for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. The League takes no equity. Registration runs through the Campus Activation Phase to January 15, league play opens that day, and our campus nominates for the Regional Championships by February 26. I am the campus lead. As of today [University] has [N] ventures registered and [N] nominated, and we sit [Nth] of ten on campus points. I will send a one-line update every two weeks. The season site is https://ohiofoundersleague.org. [Your name]
To: All founders, two weeks before league play begins
Subject: Two weeks to January 15
Hi [First name], Two weeks left in the Campus Activation Phase. Season One League begins on January 15, and from that date weekly reporting is required for any venture pursuing the State Championship. If you have registered: keep posting updates. The Selection Committee sees your record, and a venture with a steady record beats a venture with a good story. If you have not: it takes ten minutes at https://ohiofoundersleague.org/venture/register, and I will review your profile the same week. Questions, reply to this email. [Your name] Campus Lead, [University] Ohio Founders League
Announcements for every channel
Newsletter or website blurb (80 words)
[University] is a founding university of the Ohio Founders League, America's first statewide collegiate entrepreneurship league. Student founders register once, report their progress, climb five verified stages, and compete in March and May for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. No equity, no fees. Any student with a venture can register in ten minutes at ohiofoundersleague.org, and anyone on campus can play as a Scout. League play opens to the full field on January 15. Contact [Your name], campus lead, at [email].
Class announcement, 30 seconds spoken
Quick one before we start. Ohio now has a founders league, and we are one of the ten founding universities. If you are building anything, a business, an app, a product, a service, you can register it in ten minutes at ohiofoundersleague.org and compete all year for five hundred and seventy five thousand dollars with no equity taken. If you are not building something, you can still play as a Scout: pick five ventures and score what they earn. League play opens January fifteenth, and weekly reporting is required from then. Come find me after class or email [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. No money involved. ohiofoundersleague.org · League play opens Jan 15 · [Your name], [email]
LinkedIn post, campus lead's voice
[University] is one of the ten founding universities of the Ohio Founders League, America's first statewide collegiate entrepreneurship league, and I am our campus lead. Here is why I said yes. It is a season, not a pitch night. Student founders register once, report real numbers as they go, and climb five stages that a League official verifies. In March and May the best ventures compete for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. The League never takes equity. If you are a [University] student with a venture, register at ohiofoundersleague.org. It takes ten minutes. If you are an alum who wants to back our founders, register as a Scout: five picks, no money, and your picks help them onto the stage. League play opens January 15. Let's build. #OhioFoundersLeague
Instagram, X, or Slack, three short versions
1. Building something at [University]? Register it in 10 minutes and compete all season for $575,000. No equity, ever. ohiofoundersleague.org 2. [University] is a founding university of the Ohio Founders League. Founders: register now; league play opens Jan 15. Everyone else: be a Scout, pick five ventures, score what they earn. ohiofoundersleague.org 3. One season. Five stages. $575,000. Zero equity. The Ohio Founders League is live and [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 your venture in 10 minutes. Report your progress. Climb five stages. Compete for $575,000 in non-dilutive capital. No equity taken, 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, revenue share, or any other interest, ever.
- What does it cost a student?
- Nothing. Registration is free.
- Who is eligible?
- Any undergraduate or graduate student at a founding university, or a graduate within one year if the venture was founded while enrolled. Teams must be student-founded and student-led with majority student ownership. Life sciences ventures are not eligible in Season I.
- My venture is just an idea. Should I still register?
- Yes. Ventures are placed at a stage from what exists today, from Stage 0 (idea) to Stage 4 (scaling), and ranked against ventures that started at the same stage. An idea competes against ideas.
- 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. Stage challenges are the work of building the company, done at your own pace.
- What is a Traction Score?
- Points from progress updates, stage challenges, verified Final Challenges, and money milestones. It only goes up, except when an official audit strikes a claim that could not be proven.
- What is a Stage Final Challenge?
- The gate at the end of each stage: one piece of proof, verified by a League official who also reviews everything the venture claimed that stage. Pass and the stage is credited in full.
- 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. The Selection Committee reviews the record, stage, challenges, progress updates, verified Final Challenges, and Scout backing, and selects 12 per region, 36 in all.
- What does a Regional Championship venture get?
- A dedicated League mentor and a place at a Regional Championship in March, 12 per region. The ten finalists compete for the State Championship on May 19.
- What is a Scout and is there money involved?
- A Scout backs ventures they believe in with five portfolio slots. Their points are the Traction Score points their picks earn after the pick. No money is deposited, paid out, or exchanged at any point.
- Can faculty and staff participate?
- As Scouts, yes. Faculty and staff can also serve as mentors and advisors to ventures. They cannot register a venture unless they are also a student.
- Who sees a venture's data?
- Founders see their own portal. Campus leads see their university's ventures. Scouts see every listed venture's public profile and score. Officials verify at Final Challenge reviews. The leaderboard is one set of numbers for everyone.
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.