Jane E. Smith 10-Day Start-up Competition

Spelpreneur presents... Jane E. Smith 10-Day Start-up Competition is open to currently enrolled Spelman students, including all classifications and majors.  

Before You Apply:

• Review the FAQs: Carefully review the FAQ for the 2026 Spelpreneur 10-Day Startup Competition to understand all competition details. 
• Consider Your Schedule: The competition requires a time commitment of over 13 days. If your schedule is too busy to fully participate over 13 days, it is probably best not to apply at this time.
• Submit For-Profit Ideas Only: This competition exclusively accepts ideas with a for-profit business model.   
• Team Composition: Teams will be composed of a minimum of 2 Spelman students or a maximum of 4 Spelman students.  It is preferred (but not required) that each competing team include at least one current or past Spelpreneur cohort member or past Spelpreneur competition team member.

Key Dates:

• Application Deadline: January 25, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST 
• Notification Date of acceptance: January 30, 2026
• Teams and Mentors Virtual Meetup: February 11, 2026
• Competition Dates: February 16 - 26, 2026
• Next steps: February 27, 2026

Apply Today: 2026 Spelpreneur Jane E. Smith 10-Day Start-up Competition