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Founder Funding
In FY25, over $329,000 in non-dilutive prizes and student-founder support funds were awarded. Three hundred fifty-one (351) active student founders advanced two hundred seventy (270) ventures.
Duke Startup Showcase
The Duke Startup Showcase is our flagship entrepreneurship event, an electric night of pitches, demos, and connection with Duke’s top student ventures. In FY25, we awarded over $110,000 in non-dilutive funding to help promising startups accelerate growth, scale impact, and take the next big step in their entrepreneurial journeys.
2025 Startup Showcase Award Winners
- The Land of Can – $30,000 Borchardt Prize (Top Undergraduate Venture)
- The Men’s Health Clinic – $30,000 (Top Graduate/Professional Venture)
- Students Who Sit – $10,000 Borchardt Prize (2nd Place Undergraduate Venture)
- Dr. Milou – $10,000 (2nd Place Graduate/Professional Venture) + $5,000 Audience Choice
- Lokaresto – $10,000 Fuqua Fast Pitch Prize (Top Fuqua Venture)
- For Our Last Names – $10,000 Social Innovation Prize
- Let’s Get Visa – $6,500 Dean Yep, Jr. Prize (Social/Geographic Impact)
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Interplay Fellows Award
The Interplay Fellows Program, backed by a $1M commitment from Interplay, a NYC-based startup ecosystem, empowers graduating Duke students to take their ventures to the next level. Each year, one student founder receives $40,000 in non-dilutive funding and mentorship support.
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John Xu '25
The 2025 Interplay Fellow is John Xu ’25, Co-Founder of Alleviate Health. Alleviate Health accelerates clinical trials recruitment speed with conversational AI that pre-screens patients over SMS and allows sites to drastically improve their output.