The University of Windsor will officially participate in the Hult Prize, a global student entrepreneurship competition, beginning with the 2026 program year. The initiative will be led by Godswisdom Ogbonna, an active Master of Engineering student in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, who has been appointed as the university’s first Hult Prize Campus Director.

The Hult Prize is recognized as the world’s largest student startup competition, inviting teams to develop for-profit ventures that address key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Each year, more than 200,000 students from 130+ countries take part, with one winning team awarded $1 million USD in seed capital to help scale their solution.

Canadian universities have seen notable achievements at the Hult Prize in recent years, including University of Toronto startup Xatoms, which was named a global finalist in 2024.

Ogbonna has participated in multiple entrepreneurial programs over the years, including environmental, agricultural, and transportation innovation challenges, and previously advanced to the Hult Prize Regional Finals. His early interest in entrepreneurship began at age 13 when he redesigned a school hall seating layout to improve efficiency and won his first innovation award.

As part of the competition roadmap, successful student teams may progress through national and regional pitch events, followed by participation in a global accelerator at Ashridge House in the United Kingdom, and ultimately the World Finals in London where the $1M prize is awarded. Canadian teams have historically developed solutions in areas such as clean technology and accessibility.

Several University of Windsor campus events are planned as part of the 2026 Hult Prize cycle, including:

• An information session on November 14, 2025 at the Odette Building (Register here)
• A networking event on November 28, 2025 in the Odette Lounge
• A virtual information session on January 30, 2026
• The UWindsor qualifiers on February 6, 2026

Registration is open until December 31, 2025. Eligible teams must include 2–4 students, with the team captain enrolled at the University of Windsor, and proposal ideas must be aligned with one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals. Register here.

More information about the program and registration details can be found at: https://www.uwindsor.ca/innovation/314/hult-prize-uwindsor