BUSINESS PLAN AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITIONS

Entering entrepreneurship competitions can be a great way to get
feedback, visibility, and, for the winners, money for your idea.
Keep an eye out for competitions at every level from big-name
universities to smaller, community-driven competitions.

If you do find a contest that interests you, read up on it
thoroughly. Take special note of eligibility requirements and
deadlines. Many contests have initial Intent to Enter deadlines
that fall early each year

We have posted below the basic information for many of the big
competitions. Keep in mind that things change, information can
outdate, and there is always that rare chance we simply read it
wrong. Be entrepreneurial and follow the links provided and take
the initiative to verify the information yourself.

NOVEMBER DEADLINE

THE DUKE START-UP CHALLENGE [1]
Deadline: Executive Summary due in November
Eligibility: At least one Duke student per team
Prize: $50,000

GLOBAL SOCIAL VENTURE COMPETITION [2]
Eligibility: Each team must include a graduate business student
from any university or a alumnus who has graduated within the last
two years
Deadline: Not yet posted
Prizes: Up to $25,000

MEGABUCKS ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION [3] sponsored by the Indian
Institute of Technology, Kanpur
Eligibility: At least one member of each team should be a student
enrolled in university
Deadlines: Executive Summary due November
Prize: up to Rs 2,000,000

THE MIT $100K ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION [4]
Eligibility: One full-time MIT student per team
Deadlines: Executive Summaries due November (Phase 1), March (Phase
2).
Teams do not have to participate in both phases of the
competition
Prize: $30,000 grand prize

NYU
STERN BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION [5]
Eligibility: At least one Stern student or alumnus per team
Deadlines: Venture concept due in November
Prize: Up to $100,000 in seed money
Nb. Now has a Social Entrepreneurship competition as
well

SUSTAINABLE VENTURING BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION [6]
Intent to Compete deadline: November
Plan Proposal Deadline: February
Eligibility: At least one graduate-level business school student
(from any school) per team
Prize: $25,000 total prizes

WHARTON
BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION [7]
Phase One Deadline (business plan concept): November
Eligibility: Team Leader must be degree-candidate at UPenn
Prize: $20,000 cash plus in-kind prizes

JANUARY

HARVARD
BUSINESS SCHOOL BUSINESS PLAN CONTEST [8]
Eligibility: At least one HBS second-year student per team
Deadline: Entry form due in January Prizes: Up to $10,000 cash and
$10,000 in-kind services

UC BERKELEY BUSINESS
PLAN COMPETITION [9]
Eligibility: At least one team member a student/staff/fclty/alumnus
of Berkeley or UCSF
Deadline: Executive Summary due in January

QUEENS ENTREPRENEURS
COMPETITION [10]
Eligibility: Open to students across the world; undergraduates
only
Entry Deadline: January
Prize: $25,000

FEBRUARY

THE $100K
INNOVATION CHALLENGE AT CASE-WESTERN [11]
Eligibility: Open
Deadline: Executive Summary due in February
Prize: $75,000 to best plan to operate in Northeast Ohio; $25,000
to best national plan

THE BIGBANG UC
DAVIS BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION [12]
Eligibility: At least one UC Davis affiliate
Deadline: Executive Summaries due February
Prize: Up to $10,000

MCGINNIS
VENTURE COMPETITION [13] sponsored by Carnegie-Mellon
University
Eligibility: At least one graduate student per team (see UT Moot
Corp rules)
Plan Submission: February
Prizes: Up to $30,000 and automatic berth in Moot Corp
Competition

NEW
VENTURE CHAMPIONSHIP [14]sponsored by University of Oregon
Eligibility: At least one graduate student per team.
Intent to Compete: February
Full business plans due: March
Prize: $25,000 First Place

NEW VENTURE
CHALLENGE [15] sponsored by the University of Chicago
Eligibility: At least one graduate student from UChicago School of
Business
Kick-off: November
Phase One Plans due: February
Prize: varies

RICE
UNIVERSITY BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION [16]
Eligibility: Open to all graduate students from all
universities
Business Plans Due: February
Prizes: Grand prize over $125,000 in cash and in-kind prizes

STANFORD
E-CHALLENGE [17]
Eligibility: At least 50% of team members must be Stanford
affiliated
Deadline: Executive Summary due in February
Prizes: Up to $25,000

UNIVERSITY OF
SAN FRANCISCO PACIFIC STATE INSTITUTE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PLAN
COMPETITION [18]
Intent to Compete: ASAP
Plan Proposal Deadline: February
Prizes: $10,000 first prize

YALE YES
Y$50K [19]
Registration: February
Business Plan Deadline: March
Eligibility: One team member must be a Yale student or
affiliate

APRIL

GREAT LAKES ENTREPRENEURS
QUEST [20]
Eligibility: At least one team member who resides, works, or
attends school in Michigan
Deadlines: Registration April, submissions May
Prizes: Up to $25,000 cash and in-kind prizes

IDEA2PRODUCT (I2P)
UT AUSTIN COMPETITION [21]
Eligibility: all team members must be students at some point in the
given year; one member from UT Austin; at least one team member a
member of UT?s Technology and Entrepreneurship Society
Deadline: mid-spring
Prizes: $8500 in prizes, winner advances to I2P international

IDEA2PRODUCT
(I2P) INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION [22] sponsored by University of
Texas at Austin
Eligibility: invitation issued to universities each summer
Prizes: up to $25,000

THE MOOT CORP
CHALLENGE [23] sponsored by University of Texas at Austin
Eligibility: Participation by invitation or by winning one of the
participating competitions (see website for details)
Prizes: Total worth over $100,000 cash and in-kind prizes

STANFORD
I-CHALLENGE [24]
Eligibility: At least 50% of team members must be Stanford
affiliated
Deadline: First round abstracts due in April
Prizes: Ranging from $1000-$6000

MAY

GSAS
HARVARD BIOTECH CLUB BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION [25]
Deadlines: Summary and business plan due in May
Eligibility: No requirements
Prizes: $5,000 cash and up to one year free lab/office space
lease

OXFORD UNIVERSITY BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION [26]
Eligibility: No requirements
Launch: January
Submissions Deadline: May
Prize: British pounds 20,000

WORCESTER
POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION [27]

JUNE

VENETO
NANOCHALLENGE [28]
Eligibility: Anyone with nano-related business idea
Executive Summary: June
Business Plan Deadline: October
Prize: Euro200,000 investment from Veneto Nanotech plus other
prizes

JULY

NATIONAL BRAILLE PRESS [29] TOUCH OF GENIUS PRIZE FOR INNOVATION Eligibility: Anyone innovating in tactile literacy or in blind education.  Deadline: July 20 
Prize: $20,000