University Business Plan Competitions

After every team presented their ideas, the judges sat down with them individually in a closed-door session to give them feedback on their business proposal.

"Why do I do this? Because of the young adults, the young minds," said Elwood Kleaver, chief executive officer of Primary Health who volunteered as a judge. "It renews my confidence in society."

The competition has evolved into a way for Idaho to encourage local economic development by offering winning students incentives for staying in Idaho, Neupert said. "If they commit to Idaho, then we’ll commit to them," he said.

Eighty-two plans arrived from 66 schools, including Harvard and UCLA–up from 58 entries in 2004.

Designed to develop the next generation of clean, renewable, or efficient energy resources, and to spur the entrepreneurial activities that will bring these resources to market, the Ignite Clean Energy Competition, offers a series of networking, team-building, training, and mentoring opportunities that culminate in a business-plan competition. Awards total $125,000.

Applying a team of computer science students to the problem led to Usuggest.com, a comparison-shopping Web site that goes beyond product reviews to offer cash rewards to helpful shoppers.

The technology promises to deliver new levels of miniaturization, longer battery life and lower cost, the university said.

Without having ever held down a real job – not even paper routes – the two entered the Voltage idea in a Stanford business plan competition. One of the judges, Ken Gullicksen of Morgenthaler Ventures, wrote on their form: "Come and meet with me as soon as possible." They won the competition, and Gullicksen and others provided funding.

"We now have over 425 approximately business plans over the course of two years that have participated in this.

At the University of Washington’s business school, participants in a business-plan contest had to defend their proposals in front of a jury of investors and professionals. The top plan won a $25,000 award. by Wendy…

The award was granted at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Milwaukee. For Mithridion, it includes a $20,000 cash prize and a year’s free rent in 2,700 square feet of space, including labs, at the University Research Park in Madison, valued at $80,000.