Big news at the Center for Entrepreneurship. It’s time to
get fired up for our biannual BUSINESS CONCEPT COMPETITION. We’ve been holding
this competition every semester for the last six years and it has been quite a
ride.
First a word about what the contest is…and isn’t. It is
decidedly not a Business Plan
contest. We are not looking for full blown 20-30 page plans. Rather we are looking
for ideas; great thoughts, really, that can be turned into a business. At this
stage all we’re looking for is a short PowerPoint that outlines your proposal.
The contest is held in two parts. Part I looks over your PowerPoints.
A panel of anonymous judges does the looking. We hide the judges’ identity because
we don’t want them to be unduly influenced by any possible relationship with a specific
contestant. So, the judging is an impartial as possible. Past judges have
included successful entrepreneurs; young entrepreneurs; past board members of
the Collegiate Entrepreneurial Association; current business owners, general managers
and more. PowerPoints are due by 6 PM on Wednesday, October 30.
The judges whittle the contestants down to a more manageable
number usually somewhere between 15 and 20 finalists who then will appear
before a panel of judges on Finals Night which will be held on Thursday, November
14 at 7 PM in Holt 268. As always there are cash prizes for the winners.
For a complete set of rules and the contest PowerPoint
template, go to http://www.csuchico.edu/cfe/.
The Contest is open to all Chico State students in all
colleges. Past winners have gone on to some big things. Many have been funded
by our Accelerator
Fund. Some have gone on to turn their ideas into actual businesses. See the
Upper Park Designs and Bizness
Apps web sites for detail.
So get your thinking cap on. Our slogan this year is: “The
best way to start a business is to find a problem and solve it.” We invite you
to start solving.
By the way, we’d love
to hear from past students and alumni about their experiences and impressions
of the Business Concept Competition. Post your comments on our FaceBook page or at the bottom of the CfE Blogger page.
Good luck everyone!
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