3rd Annual Business Plan Competition

Guidelines Packet
Open to all Davenport University Students Registration Deadline: February 24, 2012 Presentations: 7:00 PM March 20, 2012 Sneden Center Meeting Room 3 1st Place - $1000 2nd Place - $500
1

3rd Place - $250

Overview
The business plan is vital to the start up and long term sustainability of a business. A well thought out plan can set the groundwork for a successful business and clearly identify goals and methods that will be used to achieve those goals. Investors will ask for a presentation of the business plan to consider investing in a business. This competition will allow students practice writing effective and thorough business plans, while giving them an opportunity to practice presenting this plan in front of investors. Ideas will be submitted online, where the top 15 ideas will be chosen based on three factors: Thoroughness of plan, feasibility of idea, and effective selling of the idea. Then final competition will add the fourth element of presentation to determine a winner. Investment money will be awarded to the top business plans to invest in their business.

Who Should Participate?

Current Davenport students of any major or department, including MBA students Students interested in starting a business but dont have the funds Students who have a small business that could use money for growth Students who want to test the waters for a business idea Students who want to practice selling a product to others

Deadlines and Dates

1. Register Online & Submit Business Summary Deadline Friday February 24, 2012

2. Submit Written Business Plans Friday March 2, 2012 2

3. Notification of Top 6 for Oral Presentation Monday March 9, 2012

4. Oral Presentation of Business Plan & Awards Ceremony 7:00 p.m. Tuesday March 20, 2012

The Competition Process

1. Register Online & Submit Business Summary Deadline February 24, 2012 Register to compete in the Davenport Business Plan Competition by emailing sprawdzik1@davenport.edu. Registration must be completed prior to midnight on February 24, 2012. All contestants must also submit a Business Summary to sprawdzik1@davenport.edu. The Business Summary should highlight the most interesting and important points of your business that will lead the potential investor to a general understanding of why your venture will succeed. The summary should be 2 (two) pages and should not exceed that limit. Guidelines on how to write an executive summary are available on request.

2. Submit Written Business Plan March 2, 2012 All teams/participants moving forward must submit one (1) copy of their written Business Plans either electronically or in person. The plans should be easily readable, concise, and interesting. It should address specific strategies, goals, prospective markets and investors and the actions needed to accomplish or obtain them. The business plans must be submitted no later than March 2, 2012 through the website. For written plan guidelines, please see attached documents or www.davenport.edu/ceo.

3. Screening for Top Six (6) Written Business Plans March 2-9, 2012 A second screening process will take place from March 57 for the Top 6 finalists moving forward to the Oral Presentation round on March 16, 2012 in Meeting Room 3. 4. Notification of Top Six (6) Finalists for Oral Presentations March 9, 2012

Top six (6) finalists will receive a notification letter to the oral presentation and award ceremony. The top six (6) will also be listed to the CEO website. 5. Oral Presentations of Business Plan & Awards Ceremony 7:00 PM March 20, 2012 Each participant will be given 7-minutes to orally present their business plan, with the aid of presentation software and props, if applicable. This presentation is followed by a 3-minute question and answer session. TIME LIMITS WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.

Eligibility
Business Requirements
1. Businesses must be pre-revenue 2. Ideas can be for profit or nonprofit

Student Requirements
1. All contestants must be full-time or part-time undergraduate students who are enrolled in a degree-seeking program 2. Contestants with a prior earned degree both graduate or undergraduate are not eligible to participate 3. Contestants may compete individually or in teams 4. No more than 5 members are allowed per team. 5. Contestants are not permitted to be in the competition room during

the presentations until they have had the opportunity to present.

Ownership of the Pitch

1. The Competition is for student created, managed and owned ventures. 2. Students must have played the major role in conceiving the venture. 3. Students must have key management roles in the (proposed) venture. 4. Students must own significant equity in the (proposed) venture.

Confidentiality and Intellectual Property Guidelines

1. Contestants should be aware that neither administrators of the competition nor judges of the idea pitch competition will be required, nor should they be asked, to sign non-disclosure agreements. Davenport instead, will ask all who view the competition to abide by University Standards.

2. Contestants are encouraged to be selective about what they disclose, to label plans and contents with the words CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY, and to seek legal counsel if they have any further questions regarding the legal protection of their ideas.

3. All public session of the competition, including not to limited to oral presentations and question/answer sessions, are open to the public at large. Any and all of the public sessions may be broadcast to interested persons through media which may include radio, television, and the Internet. Any data or information discussed or divulged in public sessions by entrants should be considered information that will likely enter the public realm, and entrants should not assume any right of confidentiality in any data or information discussed, divulged, or presented in these sessions.

4. Davenport University may make photocopies, photographs, videotapes and/or audiotapes of the presentations including the written business plan and other documents, charts or material prepared for use in presentation at the Elevator Pitch competition. Contestants retain all proprietary rights.

How to Win
The judges will choose as the winning plan, a business that understands its market, provides detailed evidence of potential success, and has an experienced, motivated, and dedicated management. Judges will use the following criteria: Written Business Plan (80% weight) o o o Quality of the plan (30%) Viability (30%) Concise and clear writing (20%)

Oral Presentation (20% weight)