Tom Tom Festival 2025

The University of Virginia Entrepreneurship Cup, also known as the E-Cup, is an annual competition that seeks to enrich the area’s entrepreneurial community by encouraging new ventures with the potential to address unmet needs, solve social and economic problems, and do so in an interdisciplinary way.

The E-Cup is open to all UVA undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. The E-Cup consists of three different stages: Concept, Discovery and Launch! Each stage will have its own competition with varying judging criteria.

The Launch Competition is the third and final stage of the UVA Entrepreneurship Cup, and its goal is to showcase and provide seed capital to the most compelling UVA student startups. Upwards of $50,000 in total prize and in-kind resources will be awarded. Join us to pick the Audience Choice!

Here also is a History of ECUP Finalists and Winners, many of them awarded at Tom Tom Festival.

Space for this event is limited. EVOLVE Conference Badge Holders are able to attend, otherwise separate registration with the UVA ECup Team is required for entry. 

ZERO ON ZERO (ZOZ) is one of Charlottesville’s first non-alcoholic dance parties, celebrating the mindful drinking and sober-curious movement. Named after the Central Place fountain, ZOZ welcomes both those who have stopped drinking and those exploring their relationship with alcohol.

On Thursday, April 17, from 5:00–7:30 PM, DJ Dutchie will spin a house lounge set from Corner Juice’s patio, while Fitzroy, Petit Pois, and Zocalo serve craft mocktails. Anahata Sabat, a leader in non-alcoholic mixology, will showcase premium wines, spirits, bitters, and tinctures that elevate the experience.

ZOZ launches a larger non-alcohol-focused program at Tom Tom Festival, including mocktail bars at the VIP Innovation Mixer and Block Party and a trailblazer session at EVOLVE Conference featuring innovators in the non-alcoholic beverage space.

Step out, grab a cocktail, and mingle with the movers and shakers shaping Charlottesville’s innovation scene. This isn’t just another networking event—it’s an evening where industries collide, ideas spark, and the founders and funders who are fueling it all come together for some seriously impactful conversations. Whether you’re in tech, social good, or somewhere in between, you’ll find a space to connect, collaborate, and maybe even get that funding lead you’ve been waiting for.

Forget the awkward elevator pitch—this is your chance to casually swap stories, ideas, and business cards over a drink (or two). Join us for an evening of high-energy networking, where the only thing more exciting than the connections you’ll make is the conversation you’ll have. You never know who you’ll meet, but we’re pretty sure it’ll be someone worth knowing.

This event is 21+ and features a cash bar.

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Note: This Conference session is ticketed.

Please purchase your tickets on Eventbrite. You will then receive an email from Sched with login information that allows you to make your personal schedule.

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A special thank you to our sponsors: The 13th Annual Tom Tom Festival is presented with the University of Virginia, UVA Innovates, Virginia Tourism, RL Beyer Custom Homes, and Ludwig Kuttner.