Semifinals - Business Plan
Teams that advance to the semifinals of the competition will create a 15-25 page business plan. The business plan will expand on the venture presented in the Venture Summary. A business plan lays out the premise for the venture, who its prospective customers are and how it will reach them, how the venture will operate, and why it is a good candidate for investment.
This round of the competition provides ample time for the team to consult with their advisor. Teams are encouraged to show their advisor drafts of the business plan as they are developing it, and take their advice to create a stronger plan.
All semifinalists will be invited to a networking event with the business plan judges. This event gives the teams an opportunity to sit down with a judge and pick their brain about what they would like to see in the business plan.
The business plans are submitted via e-mail and then they are sent to judges for evaluation. Each plan is evaluated by five judges. Judges are given an evaluation form (see below). While evaluating the business plan, judges are encourages to look at the plan as a prospective investment opportunity. They will be looking for information that will either convince or dissuade them from investing in the venture. The most important factor will be the viability of the venture - can the management team carry out the proposed plan.
Once the evaluations are in and tabulated, teams are informed if they are advancing to the next round, in which they will present their venture at the finals to a panel of judges. All semifinalists are given copies of all the evaluations received from judges, and are encouraged to use this feedback to move forward their ventures.
Timeline for Semifinals - Business Plan
Business Plan Workshop
Thursday, February 28
4-6 pm
DePaul Center, Room 8012
DNVC Networking Event with Judges
Thursday, April 3
4-6 pm
RSVP to dnvc@depaul.edu
Business Plan Deadline
Thursday, April 17 - 5:00pm
Finalist Notification
Wednesday, April 30