2008-09 Connecticut $64,000
Collegiate Business
Plan Competition
Sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community
Development,
Warbros Venture Partners, Connecticut Innovations, and
the Entrepreneurship Foundation
Deadlines:
Fall Semester: Entry Deadline: Thursday, November 20, 2008
Finalists will be posted Tuesday, November 25 at 5:00 pm
Finals (three–minute presentations plus Q&A): Friday, December 5, 2:30 pm
at the OMNI Hotel in New Haven.
Spring Semester: Entry Deadline: Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Orientation for all planning to enter: Tuesday, April 7, noon to 3:30 pm, at the AquaTurf in Southington. For directions, click here or visit http://www.aquaturfclub.com. Reception to follow with investors and successful entrepreneurs. Finalists will be posted Monday, April 20 at 5:00 pm. Finals (three–minute presentations plus Q&A): Friday, April 24, 1:30 pm at the New Haven Lawn Club.
60-Second Individual Elevator Pitch Competition. Spring only.
The top competitor in the Personal Business and Venture Business categories will each receive an unrestricted grant of $500. There will also be a $500 prize for the best presentation by a community college student. Any student currently enrolled in a Connecticut institution of higher learning is eligible to compete. There is no preliminary round but contestants must pre-register through their faculty adviser. The competition will take place on April 7.
Business Plan Competition Prizes:
All entrants will receive candid feedback from a business financing expert on their on-line executive summary.
The school of the top prize winner in each category will receive a trophy.
Press releases announcing the finalists and winners will be sent to media.
Fall only
Each category winner will receive an unrestricted grant of $1000.
Spring only
START-UP GRANTS. For each category, grants will be awarded to reimburse expenses in connection with actually starting up the business in Connecticut. The total amount of the grants will be $48,000, with at least one grant awarded to a venture business and a personal business**. The minimum amount of any one grant will be $2500.
TECHNOLOGY GRANT. One technology finalist will receive a $10,000 grant from Connecticut Innovations Inc. to start a business in Connecticut. (The recipient is also eligible to receive one of the Start-up Grants.)
Eligibility Requirements:
At least one member of the management team must be associated with a Connecticut college or university as a full or part-time student, currently or during prior semester. (Entries may be submitted by individuals or teams.) In keeping with the spirit of the competition to foster entrepreneurship, neither plans written for outside companies as student projects nor plans written on behalf of a company not student-owned and conceived are eligible.
Students that made it to the Finals previously are eligible to compete again.
Teams must have a faculty adviser
New business. (Enterprises with annualized sales in excess of $50,000 are ineligible.)
To Enter:
The application may be accessed at www.Back-Offices.com/college. The first step will be to create a user name and password. This will enable you and your team members to return to revise your draft prior to submitting. The judges will only consider information contained in the online application. Do not mail or email supplemental material.
** Personal businesses are typically small, serve a limited market, and serve small businesses or consumers. Venture enterprises are generally higher risk, take longer to start up and require more capital but have higher potential returrns. This is often a judgement call as many businesses have characteristics of both. The decision of the judges is final.
Competition administered by the Entrepreneurship Foundation • (203) 256-9473 • Roer@EntrepreneurshipFoundation.org
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