In memory of Bob Sopko, longtime startup mentor at Case Western Reserve University, we’re honored to offer the Sopko Travel Grant to support undergraduate and graduate students to participate in off-campus programs that tie into their business goals.
Donate to the Sopko Travel Grant
Bob Sopko made an impact in the lives of many CWRU students and alumni. If you would like to give a gift to the Sopko Travel Grant in support of our CWRU student entrepreneurs, visit the link below.
About the Fund
The purpose of the Sopko Travel Grant is to provide financial assistance to full-time CWRU undergraduate students (at least 12 credit hours) or full-time CWRU graduate students (at least 9 credit hours or one credit hour of thesis).
Students applying to this grant are eligible for up to $2000 for travel related to entrepreneurial purposes.
In order to be eligible for a Sopko Travel Grant, you must:
- Be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student at CWRU
- Be engaged in Veale Institute and/or LaunchNET services and programs
- Traveling for entrepreneurial purposes. Research or academic-based travel is not an acceptable use of this grant.
- Not be a prior recipient of a Sopko Travel Grant within the current academic year (maximum of 1 grant awarded per academic year, per person)
If you are selected, you must:
- Complete a grant acceptance form
- Accept or decline the grant within 10 days of being awarded
- Agree to be named on Veale Institute website and/or other affiliated communication outlets (providing picture, description of work)
The Sopko Travel Grant will be available from July 2025–May 2026. Applications are considered on a rolling basis. We cannot provide advanced notice of fund depletion.
Applications should be submitted 30 days prior to needing the funding when possible to ensure funding is received in time for travel.
Please note, we will not be able to guarantee applicants will receive the full amount requested.
Approved Costs:
- Travel Expenses: (Economy class) planes, trains, buses, rideshares, parking, tolls, mileage, etc.
- Accommodations: Hotels, hostels, AirBNBs, unless there are pre-arranged accommodations through your event.
- Event Registration: Ticket costs (please share if you have received a discount ticket)
- Meals: Cost of meals, excluding alcoholic beverages and any meals pre-arranged by your event or conference
The Veale Institute will consider all proposals for the Sopko Travel Grant and notify applicants by email as to the status of their application(s). Proposals are considered based on the following criteria:
- Applicant is speaking or presenting at the event in regards to their business or idea
- Applicant is working on behalf of their business or idea at the event
- Applicant demonstrates the need for funding
- Applicant demonstrates particular benefit to their business from attending that specific event
Additional considerations to selection include:
- Real or perceived conflicts of interest, number of participants/applicants per team, availability of funds, proximity to event, and any other factors deemed relevant.
If you are selected as a Sopko Travel Grant recipient, you will be asked to submit a final report including:
- Receipts
- Expense Report
- Detailed outcomes of the event crafted as a shareable LinkedIn post
If you are selected to receive support from the Sopko Travel Grant, you will be required to sign an agreement indicating acceptance of the terms outlined for the Sopko Travel Grant.
At that point, you will receive payment of 100% of the total award value, with the understanding that you are required to complete the requirements of funding in addition to the final report. When the final report is due, you will be contacted to arrange the return of unspent or undocumented funds to LaunchNET.
If you are awarded funds, you are responsible for their use and management. You are expected to keep accurate financial records and a summary of transactions and must scan receipts to include in your project’s final report. Please be aware that monetary awards of $600 or more are taxable and, if you receive an award higher than this amount, you will be issued a Form 1099 at the end of the calendar year. Please consult a tax professional if you have questions.
You must submit a final report within 15 days of returning from your trip. The final report must include:
- Executive summary of the event
- Photos from the event
- Results from any competitions or presentations
- A completed Expense Report (following the Expense Report Instructions) of travel expenses to date
- Scans of all receipts indicated on the spreadsheet
Apply for a Travel Grant
If you are interested in applying for a Sopko Travel Grant, fill out the form below. Be sure to thoroughly review the fund criteria listed above before submitting your application.
About Bob Sopko
Bob Sopko worked at CWRU for more than 21 years, first in the Division of Information Technology Services (now University Technology) managing strategic technology partnerships, before becoming an integral figure in the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. He directed CWRU LaunchNET for more than eight years before transitioning to an entrepreneur-in-residence role at the Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship.
Bob was a mentor to more entrepreneurs in the Case Western Reserve community than anyone can count. One of his specialties was, after hearing an idea from a CWRU student, following up their conversation with an email containing at least 3 links to upcoming events that were relevant to their ideas. He often drove students to conferences and pitch competitions himself, always a familiar face in the audience and a connector for them, even at the start of their journeys.
CWRU Entrepreneurs Share Memories of Bob Sopko
“Our earliest and most consequential connections came from him, because he knew everybody,” SearchOwl Inc. founders Dale Berkove (CWR ‘25) and Jadon Wyant (CWR, GRS ‘25) shared. “At every event, there were always new people he wanted to introduce us to. [We’re] not sure if Bob ever told a student no.”
Berkove and Wyant (shown left with Sopko) are one of the first recipients of the Sopko Travel Grant, with an award to travel to the Rice Business Plan Competition in April 2025, where SearchOwl was a finalist. In addition to SearchOwl, a second award was given to founder of Books to Succeed International, Jube Augustino (CWR ‘25), to assist in her travel to conferences like SXSW and CES in support of the development of her nonprofit.
“I am very honored to be one of the first recipients of the Sopko Travel Grant because it reassures me that Bob still lives within us,” Augustino said. “If you are a student entrepreneur at Case Western, you know how much Bob cared about exposing us to the world beyond the classroom. He wanted us to go out into the world, take risks, and dream big. This fund is a reflection of that belief.”
Donate to the Sopko Travel Grant
Bob Sopko left a lasting legacy in the lives of countless CWRU students and alumni. If you’d like to honor his memory by supporting future student entrepreneurs, consider a gift to the Sopko Travel Grant at the link below.