Purpose – Many researches try to individuate the entrepreneurial intent of different categories of individuals, and the factors that impact on their intent. Anyway, many of these investigations are based on homogeneous samples without, however, verifying if firms actually arise, nor the type of company created. The paper aims to going over the limitations of previous researches on the knowledge of the process of the entrepreneurial intention by investigating a population of individuals which seized the opportunity to participate at a university-based start-up competition (Suc). Design/methodology/approach – In the frame of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) the paper examines the influence of factors affecting the entrepreneurial intention, the perception of external of environment and the perception subjective competencies. The questionnaire to measure intent is based on an integration of psychology and entrepreneurship literature and is very close to the Entrepreneurial Intent Questionnaire adopted in intent approach leading articles. The population is from seven universities localised in a specific region and the TPB is tested using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach. Originality/value –The study is unique given that, within the entrepreneurial process, the individuals of the population investigated could be positioned beyond the intent but before the starting-up. Furthermore, these participants are considered high likely to start an high-tech or innovative businesses, and include individuals with heterogeneous characteristics who decide in team to start a business. Practical implications – The outcomes this survey show that competencies have a strong effect in favouring the entrepreneurial event while, the external environment doesn’t appear to exert a clear influence on intent. These considerations have two relevant implications. On the one hand the role of universities as natural provider of skills is emphasized. On the other hand it is shown how the support promised by the universities themselves under these initiatives can help aspiring entrepreneurs to overcome the conditionings of the external environment.