Strategic’s Jackie O. Gifford selected as a judge in George Washington University’s New Venture Competition Finals

On April 13th,  twelve finalists across four tracks gave an elevator pitch of their startup ideas at the Annual New Venture Competition (NVC) for the GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Jackie O. Gifford was selected as a judge in the final round of this year’s competition.

Jackie was proud to present Strategic’s Best Financial Understanding prize to Team SEEKER, who also took home second place in the Goods and Services Track.  SEEKER will provide guarantor services to international students renting apartments in the US, in exchange for a fee, enabling them to secure housing without a US-based guarantor—while also giving landlords peace of mind.

Each year, since it launched in 2009, cash prizes are awarded, with participation from hundreds of students across the ten schools at GW. At this year’s competition, 417 participants spread across 161 teams participated, and judges awarded $357,200 in prizes, including $163,000 in cash to winners. In-kind prizes worth tens of thousands of dollars are also awarded annually. These include free legal counsel, office space, and professional consultation services to help winners launch their ideas. Congratulations to all the teams! Strategic is proud to participate in and sponsor one of the nation’s top student entrepreneurship competitions.