Encouragement Grants and Support Services sincE 1997

Applications due Thursday May 20 at www.Back-Offices.com/software 

Finals Friday May 28, 2-4pm, live and virtual. Finalists and will receive Zoom invite on May 25. 

Within 5 minutes, finalists will demo software and deliver a PowerPoint presentation; followed by Q&A with judges.

Eligibility.  Must be a CT resident  student at a CT school, or own a startup (sales <$10,000) in CT. 

Prize Categories 

• SERIOUS (e.g. – Educational, enterprise, training) 
• ENTERTAINMENT (e.g. - Games)
• GENERAL / UTILITY (Useful, functional). e.g. - Weather app, key locator, translator 

Within each Category, awards will be granted within each DELIVERY PLATFORM: 

• PC 
• App/ web/ mobile 
• VR/AR

A. PRODUCT OR SERVICE brief description (8 words or less)

B. VALUE PROPOSITION: Problem and your solution, including how it's a) better, b) cheaper to produce or deliver, c) targets an underserved Market Niche, or d) customer service is superior 

C. CUSTOMER VALIDATION. Research showing enough people will buy product to earn a profit 

D. CHANNELS of MARKETING and DISTRIBUTION. How will users become aware of the product or service? Describe payment and delivery process. 

E. REVENUE STREAMS and COST STRUCTURE (How much you charge, who pays, and what it costs to produce including customer service and any back-end costs required) 

F. SIZE of TARGET MARKET in dollars and number of prospective customers. Give evidence. 

G. COMPETITION. Important competitors, their strengths and weaknesses and how you'll compete. 

H. BARRIER TO ENTRY (something not easily copied or acquired or a strategy to keep others out of your market (e.g. - patent, secret sauce, exclusive contract) 

I. MANAGEMENT TEAM and Relevant Experiences 

1. PROBLEM: Strong customer pain or desire

2. SOLUTION: Compelling value proposition (superior or new market niche)  

3. USER EXPERIENCE: □ Intuitive (little or no documentation needed) □ Performance

4. MARKET: □ Adequate size to meet goals  □ Demand Validated 

5. REVENUE STRATEGY: Clear and feasible strategy to monetize 

6. SALES PLAN: Budget and roll-out plan reasonable to achieve goals 

7. FUNDING: Capital needs realistic and intended use of funds is clear 

8. MANAGEMENT TEAM: □ Knowledgeable  □ Convincing