Lehigh University's Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation has signed on as a Premier Sponsor of Lehigh Valley Startup Weekend, the entrepreneurship competition Nov. 15 - 17, Ben Franklin TechVentures, Bethlehem.

The university has committed more than $13,000 in cash and prizes to support the event. This includes several seats in its executive entrepreneurship education program Venture Series.

"Having Lehigh University on board as the Premier Sponsor is huge for us, said Anthony Durante, one of the event organizers.

Lehigh Valley Startup Weekend 2012 winning team Skaffl, an education software development company co-founded by Rita Chesterton and Michael Hanssen, won similar prizes last year.

"Lehigh Valley Startup Weekend provides an opportunity for Lehigh University students in the [program] to network and collaborate with innovative minds in the Lehigh Valley and beyond," said Michael Lehman, a professor in the Baker Institute Masters of Engineering in Technical Entrepreneurship program.

Marc de Vinck, the other lead professor in the Technical Entrepreneurship program, is a judge when teams make their final five-minute presentations.

This year, the winning team of Lehigh Valley Startup Weekend competes in Global Startup Battle, a competition among Startup Weekend winning teams from the two weekends of Global Entrepreneurship Week, to be held in more than 200 cities.

Ticket information: lehighvalley.startupweekend.org