The University of Cincinnati Center for Entrepreneurship Education & Research is pleased to present the 2010 UC Spirit of Enterprise Graduate Business Plan Competition. The University of Cincinnati and community were proud hosts of this exciting invitational forum for the next generation of entrepreneurs to "road test" their new venture concepts here in Cincinnati.
The competition will be held February 25 and 26, 2010.
OVERVIEW
The UC Spirit of Enterprise Graduate Business Plan Competition continues a long tradition of further developing the entrepreneurial spirit within today's students. Serving as a model host for the competition, Cincinnati claims an ideal geographic location within driving distance of multiple major entrepreneurship programs, and situated near a Delta hub at the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport. Additionally, Cincinnati has access to world-class judges representing the city's entrepreneurial support organizations, angel, and venture capital groups, as well as the strong support of the UC Center for Entrepreneurship Education & Research. The inaugural competition was held in 2005 and each year it has brought teams from across North America.
2009 Spirit of Enterprise Competition Judges, Teams, & Advisors
The 2010 Spirit of Enterprise events will commence at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 25th with a Team Exhibit, evening reception for guest teams, followed by a tech check in preparation for the next day's presentations. On Friday, February 26th, the UC Spirit of Enterprise Competition will kick off at 8:00 a.m. and continue through 5:00 p.m., at which point the awards reception/dinner will be held. The evening will conclude approx. 8 to 8:30 p.m.
Participating teams will have multiple opportunities to present their new venture concepts and receive feedback from esteemed judges and entrepreneurs. All teams will compete in the morning preliminary rounds, with the final four advancing to the Championship Round where they will compete for the top Cincom Spirit of Enterprise Award. The remaining teams will move on to the UC Taxi /LimoCompetition. The UC Taxi/Limo Competition, will give teams a ten minute limo ride mirroring a chance encounter with a potential angel investor. Cash prizes will be awarded to those teams who convince him/her of their business plan viability - before the ride comes to a halt.
This year's competition is featuring cash prizes totaling $20,000, with first place being the Cincom Spirit of Enterprise Champion Prize and an automatic bid to the 2010 MOOT CORP® Competition. Other cash prizes will be allotted to the second and third place recipients of the Finalist Round, first place in the UC Taxi/Limo Competition, and the winner of the Best Technology Plan.
All schools wishing to participate in the 2010 Spirit of Enterprise Competition must submit the Intent to Compete form by the due date below.
Key Dates for 2010 UC Spirit of Enterprise Graduate Business Plan Competition
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December 18, 2009: Intent to Compete form due
January 22, 2010: Official Business Plan Submittal Form due
January 29, 2010: 10 copies of Final Plan due
February 25, 2009:Team Exhibits, Evening Reception, Tech Check
February 26, 2009: UC Spirit of Enterprise Graduate Business Plan Competition
COMPETITION FORMAT
The Spirit of Enterprise identifies the best new venture plans through a competition format consisting of three intense and challenging rounds. During the Preliminary Round, each team will be allotted twenty minutes to formally present their business plan to an esteemed panel of judges, followed by a critical, ten minute question-and-answer session. Each team will compete against three to four others in one of three to four concurrent tracks. At the conclusion of the preliminary round, the top four business plans will be selected to advance to the Final Round's single track, where they will again have fifteen minutes to sell their venture, this time to a new panel of judges.
Those teams not chosen for the final championship round will move on to the consolation track: the UC Taxi/Limo Round. Competing teams will be given an actual ten minute taxi/limo ride, with a judge/potential investor riding with the team. During each taxi/limo ride, team members will be given the opportunity to make their pitch to a potential investor. Unlike the preliminary and championship rounds, however, team members will not be permitted to use PowerPoint presentations, visual aids, or computer technology. Teams will be permitted to present judges with a two-page summary of their new venture concept.
SOFTWARE SPONSOR
Palo Alto Software, Inc is sponsoring University of Cincinnati's Spirit of Enterprise Business Plan Competition with a FREE download of Business Plan Pro Academic Premier Edition software for each team. The software provides an SBA-approved format for you to write and manage your plan, allowing you to turn your focus from the mechanics behind the plan to other important aspects involved in the competition. In order to receive your free download, please visit the Palo Alto Software competition website and enter your .edu email address to receive an email with further instructions on how to obtain your free download. Your competition code is: UCSpirit2010. We wish you the best of luck!
REWARDS
The most innovative and commercially viable business plans will be rewarded with cash prizes up to $10,000. Teams receiving financial rewards will include the top teams recognized during the final championship round. In addition, the top team in the Taxi/Limo Round, and the recipient of the Best Technology Plan will receive cash prizes.&n Along with the Cincom Spirit of Enterprise Champion prize, the first place recipient will be awarded an automatic bid to the MOOT Corp Competition, held annually at the University of Texas in Austin.
In addition to the monetary awards, all participants will receive valuable networking, contacts, practice in competing against teams from top universities, as well as the invaluable business plan assessments, critiques, and feedback provided by the panel of judges.
Thomas M. Nies Founder, President & CEO, Cincom Systems, Inc.
Charles H. Matthews, Ph.D. Executive Director, University of Cincinnati Center for
Entrepreneurship Education & Research
