Learn about the Galant Challenge
GALANT
CHALLENGE
Is your venture seeking funding from seed through Series A? Would investors help take your startup to the next level?
Since 2012, the Galant Challenge Program has deployed more than $37 million in seed and early-stage capital to emerging ventures.
There are multiple ways to get involved:
SUBMIT A PITCH: UVA students, alumni, faculty, and staff who are founders or startup leaders are invited to submit a pitch to this year’s Challenge Showcase for a chance at up to $6 million in funding.
JOIN THE VC COLLECTIVE: UVA alumni in venture capital are encouraged to join the "VC Collective," a growing UVA entrepreneurship ecosystem that connects alumni at VCs to network, share deals, and possibly invest in UVA-affiliated startups competing in the Galant Challenge.
WATCH THE ACTION LIVE: Attend the Galant Challenge Showcase at the McIntire School of Commerce on Thursday, April 23, 2026. It promises to be our biggest and most electric night of investing to date!
Submit a Pitch
Entrepreneurs in the UVA community are invited to submit a pitch to the Galant Challenge Showcase, the premier startup exhibition held annually at the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce. The Showcase introduces startups, many of which are founded by UVA community members, to UVA alumni investors. In addition to private investors, we are welcoming our second group of UVA-alumni venture capital funds (the “VC Collective”) to the Showcase.
Eligibility: UVA students, alumni, faculty, and staff who are founders or members of a startup management team, as well as teams introduced by a VC Collective member, are eligible to apply. Four to six companies are ultimately chosen to pitch live at the Galant Challenge Showcase on April 23, 2026.
Pitch Deadline: The deadline for submitting your pitch is Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applications received by Feb. 15, 2026, will receive priority consideration; all applications received by the deadline of March 1 will be reviewed and considered.
Submission Form: The submission form includes required data and that you upload a pitch deck as PPT or PDF. Submission requirements outlined in the form should be carefully reviewed and followed. Photos and videos are taken during the Challenge. Proprietary data should not be included in the pitch deck or finalist presentation (if invited).
Save the date! Companies selected for investment will pitch live to an audience of funders, students, and community members at the Galant Challenge Showcase on April 23, 2026, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the University of Virginia.
Join the VC Collective
Since its launch in 2012, the annual pitch competition has grown into one of the largest collegiate funding vehicles in the country. In last year's Challenge, six startups collectively raised more than $6 million from our investors and CAV Angels, our UVA-focused angel fund partner.
To become part of a vibrant and expanding UVA entrepreneurship ecosystem—and to connect with fellow alumni in venture capital who are eager to network, share deal flow, and explore investment opportunities in UVA‑affiliated startups—consider joining the VC Collective. The 2025 cohort included 16 organizations representing more than $1 billion in cumulative capital. This year, we are expanding the Collective as we seek seed‑stage, Series A, and later‑stage companies pursuing new financing.
If you are a UVA alum in venture capital and would like to get involved, connect with other alumni, and gain visibility into startups competing in the Galant Challenge, contact David Zusman (McIntire '97), VC Collective Co-Chair.
2025 Investor Panel
The Galant Challenge Showcase on April 23 will feature a panel of investors who will ask questions and provide live feedback on each pitch. Keep an eye on this page for the 2026 Investor Panel.
Elizabeth Blankenship-Singh (Darden '22)
Senior Associate, Overlay Capital
Elizabeth Blankenship-Singh is a Senior Associate at Overlay Capital, seamlessly integrating client insights from Overlay Capital’s Build’s consulting arm deploying technologies with real estate owner-operators, to the team’s strategic investment vision. With expertise in sustainability and climate tech, she's honed her skills at two early-stage VC funds, injecting catalytic capital into innovative climate solutions. Blankenship-Singh holds an MBA from UVA Darden, with a focus on Innovation for Sustainability, bringing a unique blend of entrepreneurial spirit and passion for driving impactful investments.
Mark Galant (McIntire '80)
CEO, Tydall Investment Partners; Founder, Galant Center for Entrepreneurship
Mark Galant is the Founder of GAIN Capital/FOREX.com, a leading online FX trading firm. He served as CEO from its beginning in 1999 until 2007. Galant continued as Chairman until December 2010, when the firm went public on the NYSE. Before GAIN, his Wall Street trading career included Global Head of Options for Credit Suisse. He followed GAIN with the founding of Tydall Trading, a high-frequency algorithmic trading firm, trading over $10 billion a day. He currently is the CEO of Tydall Holdings, a real estate development and startup investment firm. Galant holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Commerce (Finance) from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce.
Aditi Rajagopal (Darden '21)
Principal, Good Growth Capital
Aditi Rajagopal is a Principal at Good Growth Capital, where she focuses on data science investment opportunities. Prior to GGC, Rajagopal was on the investment team at Invest Detroit Ventures, the most active early-stage investor in Michigan, where she led deal sourcing and KPI development while building entrepreneur relationships across the Great Lakes region. Rajagopal started her career in software engineering working on open source cloud infrastructure products including IBM Cloud, Kubernetes, OpenStack, and Docker. Rajagopal holds a B.S.E. in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan and a dual MBA/M.S. in Data Science from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business.
David Zusman (McIntire '97)
Managing Partner, Talara Capital and GoPoint Ventures
David Zusman is the Managing Partner of Talara Capital and GoPoint Ventures, investment partnerships he founded in 2010. The firm’s PE investments are real asset focused, while its venture investments have focused on software with workflow/data orchestration, AI solutions, and energy transition technologies. Zusman has invested over $1 billion alongside visionary founders, serving on numerous boards. In 2019, he co-founded the We Are All Music Foundation. Zusman began his career in finance at Credit Suisse before becoming Managing Director at North Sound Capital, a hedge fund, and Partner at Perella Weinberg. Zusman earned a B.S. in Commerce at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Galant Challenge?
The Galant Challenge is a premier startup showcase held annually at the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce to expose startups founded by UVA community members (students, alumni, faculty, and staff) to potential investors. The Galant Challenge has resulted in more than $37 million in capital raised for finalists since 2012.
Who are the investors?
Led by Mark E. Galant (McIntire '80), the investor panel changes annually but is typically composed of leading entrepreneurs and investors ready to put real capital into the final ventures selected to pitch. In recent years the panel featured Paul Tudor Jones (A&S '76) of Tudor Investment Corporation; Baiju Bhatt, Co-Founder of Robinhood; John Griffin (McIntire '85) of Blue Ridge Capital; and Ralph Sampson (A&S '83) of The Sampson Group, among others.
In 2025, the Galant Challenge raised the stakes. Our first cohort of UVA-connected venture capital funds brought both startups and their capital to the showcase.
Who has been funded in past Galant Challenges?
Each year, dozens of pitches are submitted to the Galant Challenge, with four to six ventures ultimately selected to pitch to our panel of investors at the UVA McIntire School of Commerce during the live event. Of those, many are selected for funding by one or more investors. In 2025, six finalists received funding in excess of $6 million from investors who attended the showcase.
Check out the Past Events section below for recaps of each year's Challenge, with details about the companies and investments that resulted.
Can anyone attend the Challenge?
The Challenge is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. We'll share a link to RVSP in March.