Raymond Ideas Challenge

Raymond Ideas Challenge

Offers a Texas A&M student idea challenge to launch early-stage startup concepts and prototypes.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Raymond Ideas Challenge is an annual entrepreneurship competition organized by the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University. Established as one of the McFerrin Center's longest-running programs, the competition is designed to encourage students to explore entrepreneurship and develop an entrepreneurial mindset through the process of articulating and defending a business idea. The competition runs each spring and is open exclusively to currently enrolled students at the Texas A&M University College Station campus.

The 2026 competition awarded prizes totaling approximately $9,000 across nine placements: first place $2,500, second $2,000, third $1,500, fourth $1,000, fifth $750, sixth $500, and three honorable mention awards of $250 each. Teams of up to six members are allowed, as are individual submissions. Each participant may advance a maximum of two ideas to the finalist stage. The 2026 application deadline was March 8, 2026, with the final pitch event held on April 12, 2026. The next cycle is expected to run in spring 2027.

The Raymond Ideas Challenge requires no prototype or existing company — the competition judges the quality and viability of the idea itself, making it accessible to students at any stage of entrepreneurial development. Ideas from any industry are eligible. Judges from the McFerrin Center and the Texas A&M entrepreneurship community evaluate submissions on the originality, feasibility, and market potential of the proposed concept. Students interested in future cycles should monitor the McFerrin Center at mcferrin.tamu.edu and contact McFerrinCenter@tamu.edu for cycle-opening announcements.