• The Venture Builder Program is an immersive cohort-based program that requires full-time participation of the founding team members for a minimum of three months. Most activities may be conducted virtually though some will require in-person participation. The methodology will include validating the customer pain, determining the best solution, and designing the right business model. Teams will have access to a dedicated Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) for the full length of the program, as well as a group of experts including designers and business and technology advisors.

  • Teams who enter the Venture Builder (“New Venture Teams” or NVT) will transition their contracts from their originating organization into TOD so they can participate full-time in the Growth Engine during Incubation and subsequent Accelerate phases. 

    For ventures that successfully meet the Accelerate objectives and proceed to spin out of the Growth Engine, a new legal entity will be created for the venture company, and NVT members will become co-founding employees of the new company. 

    For ventures that spin-in to an existing business unit within the group, the NVT members will transition to the sponsoring unit

  • Your team's participation in the Venture Builder program will be funded for the duration of participation in the program. For ventures that spin-out of the Growth Engine, founding team members will split a substantial majority of the venture's founding equity, with a minority position held by the Growth Engine.

  • There are no set criteria regarding team size. However, we typically expect that ventures have between 2-5 team members, each with a critical skill or expertise (e.g., go-to-market, engineering, business/finance, product, etc.).

  • New Venture Teams are expected to explore a topic area in an open ended way to identify the most promising venture opportunities. When there is existing IP developed within the OCP / UM6P ecosystem that can be leveraged in a potential solution, the Growth Engine will work with the UM6P Tech Transfer Office to establish a suitable exclusive use license that will be assigned to the venture following their typical procedures.

  • There is no upfront investment made upon entry into the Venture Builder Program. However the Growth Engine provides a budget to fund the venture team's activities during the initial three months of incubation, and successful ventures will be supported with additional funding and resources during Acceleration.

About The Venture Builder Program

FAQs

About The Venture Challenge

  • The Venture Challenge is designed to source high-potential venture ideas in domains of exploration deemed strategic by OCP and UM6P. It provides a clear pathway across all organizational functions in the ecosystem for ideas to be evaluated through a consistent set of criteria and surfaced to the key decision makers for venture building. Winning teams will be offered the opportunity to develop their proposal in the Growth Engine Venture Builder program.

  • The Venture Challenge seeks “ventureable” business ideas that have a large and growing market globally but might be risky and require further validation. These ideas should be able to serve customers beyond OCP with high ROI potential, and have potential to operate independently from OCP and UM6P.

    The idea must fit one of the key themes prioritized for each round of the Challenge

    The idea does not need to have existing customers, traction, or development work already completed. We do ask that you have done some research and have developed strong hypotheses that you are looking to test.

  • The Venture Challenge is only looking for ideas that pertain to priority Domains that represent leadership’s current desired areas for venture building.

    While participants will gain valuable knowledge and insights along the way, the main focus of the Challenge is to identify the best candidates for the Venture Builder program, where participants will develop, test, and grow a scalable business from the ground up.

    The Venture Challenge is designed for the boldest ideas and most driven builders: only a small subset of applicants will be selected as finalists and an even smaller subset will proceed to the Venture Builder Program.

    Furthermore, the Challenge is currently open to only employees and staff of OCP and UM6P.

  • All applications are evaluated on a rolling basis until the submission deadline. A panel will assess the applications based on the criteria outlined on this website. After submission, the evaluation team may request additional clarification or information on your idea or application. You will receive a notification with instructions on responding if this is the case.

    The evaluation process will involve multiple stages of review, including assessment from technical experts from the relevant domain.

    Following evaluation, up to 8 finalist teams will be selected to pitch their ideas to a group of experienced investors that includes members of the Growth Engine, Venture Builder Program, and other venture building experts. The finalist teams will also be eligible for mentoring and virtual coaching sessions to refine their idea in preparation for the pitch.

  • If your team is selected as a winner of the Venture Challenge, you will receive the opportunity to participate full-time in the Venture Builder Program, designed to develop selected founders and their ideas with guidance, resources, and expertise from experienced advisors.

    See the Venture Builder page for further detail on how the program works.  Winner(s) of this round of the Venture Challenge will start the program in 2026.

  • If you are selected as a finalist, your team will have the opportunity to receive mentoring sessions to refine your presentation ahead of the pitch day. This mentoring and coaching will help you further develop your venture idea and refine your pitch. These may be conducted virtually or in-person depending on your mentor assignment.

    Finalists may also receive invites to speaker sessions and other optional events on entrepreneurial topics. Specific details and further instructions will be provided if you are selected as a finalist.

About the Program

  • Please answer every question to the best of your ability. We understand that ideas will be in various stages of maturity, and the length or completeness of an application does not necessarily indicate quality. However, we expect you to have given some thought to each question.

  • Yes, please submit your application and the evaluation committee will determine if it is the right fit for the Venture Builder Program.

  • Yes, you may submit multiple entries for consideration. However, only one venture or idea per team can move forward into the Venture Builder Program.

  • Yes, you may proceed through the Venture Challenge as a solo founder. However, if your idea is selected to move forward into the Venture Builder Program and additional capabilities are needed, we may help recruit complementary team members, as the minimum number of team members in the program is 2.

  • You should expect a response regarding any next steps by November 3, 2025. This may be a request for additional information to evaluate your idea or feedback on the fit of your submission.

  • Each application will be evaluated by a committee composed of technical advisors, venture-building experts, and, if relevant, representatives of SBUs. Each application is expected to undergo multiple rounds of review.

  • You do not need your manager’s approval to submit an application and participate in activities if you become a Finalist. However, if you are selected into the Venture Builder program to build your idea, you will need your manager’s approval.

  • For additional questions, contact us at challenge@growthengine.ventures. We will respond as quickly as possible.

About the Application Process