2004-2005 Info Session Slides

The Wharton Business Plan
Competition
Building Tomorrow’s Leading Enterprises
The Wharton Business Plan
Competition
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Why Take Part?
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Overview
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Workshops & Mentoring
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How the BPC Support Other Entrepreneurial Activities
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How to Register
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Highlights from Last Year’s BPC
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Participant Perspective
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Q&A
Why Take Part?
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Get your business plan off the ground – with cash!
Network with seasoned VC’s and Entrepreneurs
First-hand entrepreneurial experience
Third-party validation
Teamwork
It’s fun!!!
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Who Can Join?
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Any Penn student
Any major, background, experience
Even people from outside Penn can participate on a team
In short - everyone!
Relevant Stats: Last Year’s Competition
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Phase I: 136 teams; 294 entrants; 10 schools
Phase II: 110 teams; 292 entrants; 6 schools
Breadth of industries
• Biotech: 6% / 7%
• Communication & Media: 10% / 13%
• Consumer Products: 6% / 7%
• Distribution & Transportation: 2% / 4%
• Education: 13% / 16%
• Internet: 5% / 5%
• IT: 13% / 13%
• Manufacturing: 3% / 0%
• Non-Profit: 2% / 2%
• Retail: 8% / 6%
• Services: 18% / 15%
• Telecom: 2% / 4%
• Other 11% / 8%
Overview of Competition:
Timeline
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Phase I: Brief Business Concept
– Non-competitive round: Submissions due by November 12
– Judge feedback allows participants to refine their business idea
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Phase II: Executive Summary
– First competitive round: Submissions due by January 28
– 25 semi-finalists will be selected for Phase III
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Phase III: Full Business Plan
– Submissions due by March 16
– “Great Eight” finalists chosen
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Venture Fair
– Held in Huntsman Hall on April 26
– “Great Eight” finalists present in front of high-profile industry
leaders
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Overview of Competition:
Prizes
Grand Prize: $20,000
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Venture Initiation Program
Opportunities to represent the University at other competitions
Second Prize: $10,000
Third Prize: $5,000
Undergraduate Award: $5,000
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Frederick H. Gloeckner Award in Entrepreneurial Studies
50%+ must be Wharton undergrad students
Team must reach semi-finals (Phase III)
Other Non-Cash Prizes
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Workshops & Mentoring
Workshops
– Idea Generation: Thursday, October 28th @ 4:30, JMMH 270
Gary Dushnitsky – Assistant Professor of Management
• Provide foundations and guidelines on how to stimulate
idea generation for new businesses
• Assess feasibility of ideas – general criteria used to
consider whether venture will be successful
Other planned workshops:
– Team Building for Entrepreneurship
– Business Plan Writing
– Business Plan Financials
– Developing your Pitch
– Presentation Skills
• Mentoring
How the BPC Supports Other
Entrepreneurial Activities
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Wharton Venture Initiation Program
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PennVention – Weiss Tech House
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Entrepreneurship Conference’s Business
Plan Challenge
How to Register
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Team leader must be from Penn
Entire process online:
www.whartonbpc.com
The Press
Last Year’s Highlights:
The Venture Fair
Last Year’s Highlights:
And The Winner’s Are…
Grand Prize: InfraScan, Inc.
Handheld device to detect brain hematoma using Near Infrared
Technology
Second Prize: CelfCure, Inc.
Technology aided stem cell harvesting from patients for disease
self-treatment
Third Prize: BioSpectrum
Fast, low cost protein screening for billion dollar drug discovery
market
Questions
Our Website: www.whartonbpc.com
Committee Information:
Co-Chairs
Vivake Gupta
Jeff Harmer
Directors of Judge Relations
Michael Howe
Allison Killilea
Peter Schedler
Directors of Marketing
Meghan Chikarmane
Gene Markin
Directors of Mentoring
Amit Friedlander
Kalpesh Mehta
Director of Operations
Timothy Hentzel
Director of IT
James Kao
Director of West Coast Operations
James Mullarney