UA’s Heartland Challenge starts Thursday; includes student teams from 8 universities The Heartland Challenge, a global student startup competition designed to simulate the process of raising venture capital, starts on Thursday. Author: Talk Business & Politics Updated: 5:57 PM CDT April 14, 2021 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Heartland Challenge, a global student startup competition designed to simulate the process of raising venture capital with a cash prize pool of $96,000, will be held virtually Thursday and Friday (April 15-16) and include a keynote speech from Dr. Tracy Gaudet. Gaudet is executive director of the Whole Health Institute in Bentonville. The University of Arkansas’ Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation will manage the competition.