2013 Rice Business Plan Writing Competition

The Rice University Business Plan Competition is the world’s richest and largest graduate-level business plan competition.

In its 13th year, 42 teams from around the world will compete on campus April 11-13, 2013 for more than an expected $1 million + in cash and prizes in front of over 250 judges, primarily venture capitalists and other investors. More than 1200 teams applied to compete in 2012 and the competition was supported by more than 130 sponsors. More than 133 past competitors have successfully launched their business after competing at Rice, are still in business today, and have raised more than $480 million in funding.

WILL YOU BE NEXT? Apply Today!!

Theme

Business Plan

Organizer

Rice University

Prizes

More than $1.3 million in cash and prizes to be won by 42 teams.

Teams submitting a completed application will receive:

FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Palo Alto Software’s LIVEPLAN, online business plan creation tool.

ACCESS to MEMBERSHIP to Microsoft BizSpark Program (for iteams which are incorporated software startups only)

Deadline

February 18, 2013, 5:00 pm CST

Guidelines

Finalist Teams should commit to compete, upload their written business plans, and submit team media information.
Times are in CST (-0600)
There are 3 steps to complete your application: Team Leader: 1)creates an individual account 2) Submits the business 3) Apply to the RBPC by answering the questions listed, and uploading the venture Executive Summary and OPTIONAL, but highly encouraged Video Pitch.
All 3 steps must be completed no later than 5:00 PM CST Monday, February 18, 2013. Teams may make changes to the application until the deadline.
The system will close at 5:00 PM CST, and no applications can be submitted after that deadline, partial applications will not be accepted, so please plan accordingly.
Note: Schools may submit an unlimited number of entries, but typically only 1-2 teams per school will be invited to compete. (Exceptions to this guideline may be made on a case-by-case basis.) In the case of multiple entries from the same university, RBPC will choose the team(s) to represent that university at the Competition.
The Rice Business Plan Competition is open to all currently enrolled university students from around the world who are seeking funding for their new venture.
Simply submit your startup company’s executive summary to apply.
See the eligibility requirements here and the submission guidelines here.
Forty-two finalist teams will invited to compete in person at Rice University in Houston, Texas o April 11-13, 2013.
Since 2001, more than 128 teams have successfully launched their companies after competing at the Rice Business Plan Competition and are still in business today, raising more than $503 million in funding. Read their Success Stories.
The Rice Business Plan Competition is for teams who are seeking to launch their new ventures and can benefit from funding, coaching, mentoring, and connections with more than 250 venture capitalists, angel investors, and other entrepreneurial leaders.
Click here to apply show more
Timeline of the competition is as follows:

#2013 Website Launch/Applications Open: Monday, October 8, 2012

#Applications/Executive Summaries Due: Monday, February 18, 2013, 5:00 pm CST

#2013 RBPC Finalist Teams Announce: Monday, March 11, 2013

#Finalist Teams Commit to Compete Due: Friday, March 15, 2013, 5:00 pm CDT

#Finalist Teams Business Plans Due: Monday, March 18, 2013, 5:00 pm CDT

#2013 Rice Business Plan Competition: April 11-13, 2013

Inquiries

If you would like more information about the Rice Business Plan Competition, contact us at rbpc@rice.edu or call (713) 348-3443.

Announcer

This announcement is formatted using Naija Writers’ Coach Posting Format. If you republish this on your website, please provide a link to this post. Click here for other current essay competitions.

Get more free announcements from us on Twitter via @Oxygenmat or on Facebook.