top 10 business plan competitions

The 20 Best Business Plan Competitions to Get Funding

Business plan competitions can provide valuable feedback on your business idea or startup business plan template , in addition to providing an opportunity for funding for your business. This article will discuss what business planning competitions are, how to find them, and list the 20 most important business planning competitions.

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What is a Business Plan Competition?

How do i find business plan competitions, 20 popular business plan competitions, tips for winning business plan competitions, other helpful business plan articles & templates.

A business plan competition is a contest between startup, early-stage, and/or growing businesses. The goal of the business plan competition is for participants to develop and submit an original idea or complete their existing business plan based on specific guidelines provided by the organization running the contest.

Companies are judged according to set criteria including creativity, feasibility, execution, and the quality of your business plan.

A quick Google search will lead you to several websites that list business planning competitions. 

Each site has a different way of organizing the business planning competitions it lists, so you’ll need to spend some time looking through each website to find opportunities that are relevant for your type of business or industry.

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Below we’ve highlighted 20 of these popular competitions, the requirements and how to find additional information. The following list is not exhaustive; however, these popular competitions are great places to start if you’re looking for a business competition.

Rice Business Plan Competition

The Rice University Business Plan Competition is designed to help collegiate entrepreneurs by offering a real-world platform on which to present their businesses to investors, receive coaching, network with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, fine-tune their entrepreneurship plan, and learn what it takes to launch a successful business.

Who is Eligible?

Initial eligibility requirements include teams and/or entrepreneurs that:

• are student-driven, student-created and/or student-managed
• include at least two current student founders or management team members, and at least one is a current graduate degree-seeking student
• are from a college or university anywhere in the world
• have not raised more than $250,000 in equity capital
• have not generated revenue of more than $100,000 in any 12-month period
• are seeking funding or capital
• have a potentially viable investment opportunity

You can find additional  eligibility information on their website.

Where is the Competition Held?

The Rice Business Plan Competition is hosted in Houston, TX at Rice University, the Jones Graduate School of Business.

What Can You Win?

In 2021, $1.6 Million in investment, cash prizes, and in-kind prizes was awarded to the teams competing.

This two-part milestone grant funding program and pitch competition is designed to assist students with measurable goals in launching their enterprises.

Teams must be made up of at least one student from an institution of higher education in Utah and fulfill all of the following requirements:

• The founding student must be registered for a minimum of nine (9) credit hours during the semester they are participating. The credit hours must be taken as a matriculated, admitted, and degree-seeking student.
• A representative from your team must engage in each stage of Get Seeded (application process, pre-pitch, and final pitch)
• There are no restrictions regarding other team members; however, we suggest building a balanced team with a strong combination of finance, marketing, engineering, and technology skills.
• The funds awarded must be used to advance the idea.

The business plan competition will be hosted in Salt Lake City, UT at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah.

There are two grants opportunities:

• Microgrant up to $500
• Seed Grant for $501 – $1,500

Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards is a worldwide business plan competition for students from all majors. The GSEA aims to empower talented young people from around the world, inspire them to create and shape business ventures, encourage entrepreneurship in higher education, and support the next generation of global leaders.

• You must be enrolled for the current academic year in a university/college as an undergraduate or graduate student at the time of application. Full-time enrollment is not required; part-time enrollment is acceptable.
• You must be the owner, founder, or controlling shareholder of your student business. Each company can be represented by only one owner/co-founder – studentpreneur.
• Your student business must have been in operation for at least six consecutive months prior to the application.
• Your business must have generated US $500 or received US $1000 in investments at the time of application.
• You should not have been one of the final round competitors from any previous year’s competition.
• The age cap for participation is 30 years of age.

You can find additional   eligibility information on their website.

Regional competitions are held in various locations worldwide over several months throughout the school year. The top four teams then compete for cash prizes during finals week at the Goldman Sachs headquarters in New York City.

At the Global Finals, students compete for a total prize package of $50,000 in cash and first place receives $25,000. All travel and lodging expenses are also covered. Second place gets US $10,000, while third place earns US $5,000. Additional prizes are handed out at the Global Finals for Social Impact, Innovation, and Lessons from the Edge.

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The collegiate entrepreneurs organization business plan competition.

The Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization Business Plan Competition (COEBPC) exists to help early-stage entrepreneurs develop their business skills, build entrepreneurial networks, and learn more about how they can transform ideas into reality. It also offers cash prizes to reward entrepreneurship, provide an opportunity for recognition of top student entrepreneurs around the world, and provide unique opportunities for networking.

To compete, you must:

• Be a currently enrolled student at an accredited institution
• Have a viable business concept or be the creator of an existing business that generates revenue.

If you are among the top three finalists of the business plan competition and successfully receive prize money, you will be required to submit a class schedule under your name for the current academic semester. Failure to do so will result in the forfeit of the prize money.

All competitions are held online. The finalist will receive a trip to the International Career Development Conference, where they have an opportunity to win additional prizes from CEO’s sponsors.

• First Place – $7,000
• Second Place – $5,000
• Third Place – $3,000
• People’s Choice Award – Collegiate Entrepreneur of the Year – $600

MIT 100k Business Plan Competition and Expo

The MIT 100K was created in 2010 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to foster entrepreneurship and innovation on campus and around the world. Consists of three distinct and increasingly intensive competitions throughout the school year: PITCH, ACCELERATE, and LAUNCH. 

• Submissions may be entered by individuals or teams.
• Each team may enter one idea.
• Each team must have at least one currently registered MIT student; if you are submitting as an individual, you must be a currently registered MIT student.
• Entries must be the original work of entrants.
• Teams must disclose any funding already received at the time of registration.

Hosted in Cambridge, MA at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology beginning in October through May of each academic year.

Top finalists will have a chance to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges at a live event for the chance to win the $5,000 Grand Prize or the $2,000 Audience Choice Award.

20 Finalists are paired with industry-specific business professionals for mentorship and business planning and a $1,000 budget for marketing and/or business development expenses.

The 10 Top Finalists participate in the Showcase and compete for the $10,000 Audience Choice Award while the 3 Top Finalists automatically advance to LAUNCH semi-finals.

The grand prize winner receives a cash prize of $100,000 and the runner-up receives $25,000.

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Business Plan Competition

The FAU business plan competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate student entrepreneurs. The competition covers topics in the areas of information technology, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, operations management, etc.

All undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to participate.

The business plan competition will be held at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

• First prize: $5,000 cash
• Second prize: $500 cash

Network of International Business Schools (NIBS) Business Plan Competition

The Network of International Business Schools (NIBS) Business Plan Competition is designed to offer an opportunity to develop your business plan with the guidance of industry experts. It provides the opportunity for you to compete against fellow entrepreneurs and explore big ideas.

• Participants must be the legal age to enter into contracts in the country of residence.
• Participants may not be employed by an organization other than their own company or business that they are launching for this competition.
• The plan should be for a new business, not an acquisition of another company.

The Network of International Business Schools (NIBS) Business Plan Competition is held in the USA.

There is a cash prize for first, second, and third place. There is also a potential for a business incubator opportunity, which would provide facilities and assistance to the winners of the competition.

Washington State University Business Plan Competition

The Washington State University Business Plan Competition has been serving students since 1979. The competition is a great opportunity for someone who is looking to get their business off the ground by gaining invaluable knowledge of running a successful business. It offers a wide range of topics and competition styles.

• Any college undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree-seeking student at Washington State University
• The company must be an early-stage venture with less than $250,000 in annual gross sales revenue.

The Washington State University Business Plan Competition is held in the Associated Students Inc. Building on the Washington State University campus which is located in Pullman, Washington.

There are a wide variety of prizes that could be won at the Washington State University Business Plan Competition. This is because the business plan competition has been serving students for over 30 years and as such, they have offered more than one type of competition. The common prize though is $1,000 which is awarded to the winner of each class. There are also awards for those who come in second place, third place, etc.

Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition

The Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition is one of the most well-known competitions in the country. They have partnered with many prestigious institutions to provide funding, mentorship, and expertise for the competition.

Education ventures with innovative solutions to educational inequity from around the world are encouraged to apply, especially those ventures founded by and serving individuals from marginalized and historically underrepresented communities.

We encourage applicants working in every conceivable educational setting–from early childhood through corporate and adult training. We also welcome both nonprofit and for-profit submissions.

The competition is held at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

All finalists receive $1,000 in cash and $5,000 in Amazon Web Services promotional credits.

Next Founders Business Plan Competition

Next Founders is a competition geared towards innovative startups with a social impact, looking to transform society by addressing key global human needs. The competition inspires and identifies energetic, optimistic entrepreneurs who are committed to achieving their vision.

Next Founders is for Canadian business owners of scalable, high-growth ventures.

Next Founders is held at the University of Toronto.

You could win up to $25,000 CAD in cash funding for your new business.

Hatch Pitch Competition

The Hatch Pitch competition is one of the most prestigious business competitions in the US. The winners of the Hatch Pitch Competition are given access to mentorship courses, discounted office space with all amenities included, incubators for startups, tailored education programs, financial counseling & more.

The competition is for companies with a business idea.

• The company’s product/service must have launched within the past 2 years, or be launched within 6 months after the Hatch Pitch event.
• Founders must retain some portion of ownership in the company.
• Received less than $5 million in funding from 3rd party investors.
• The presenter must actively participate in Hatch Pitch coaching.

The Hatch Pitch Competition is located at the Entrepreneur Space in Dallas.

The grand prize for this business plan competition is access to resources like incubators and mentorships that could prove invaluable in bringing your startup company to the next level.

TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield

The Startup Battlefield is a business plan competition that is sponsored by TechCrunch.  It awards the winner $50,000. There are two different rounds to this competition:

• First Round – 15 companies from all of the applicants that submitted their business plans for this round.
• Second Round – Two finalist companies compete against each other at TechCrunch Disrupt NY’s main stage.

At the time of the application process, companies must have a functional prototype to demo to the selection committee. In selecting final contestants, we will give preference to companies that launch some part of their product or business for the first time to the public and press through our competition. Companies that are in closed beta, private beta, limited release or generally have been flying under the radar are eligible. Hardware companies can have completed crowdfunding but those funds should have been directed to an earlier product prototype. Existing companies launching new feature sets do not qualify.

TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield is held at different locations.

The Startup Battlefield rewards the winner with $50,000. In addition, the two runner-ups get a prize of $5,000 each.

New Venture Challenge

New Venture Challenge is a competition hosted by the University of Chicago. There are 3 main categories that will be judged:

• Innovative Concept – Arguably the most important category, this focuses on uniqueness, originality, and suitability.
• Market Fit/Business Model – Are you solving an actual problem for your target market? Does your project have the potential for profit?
• Presentation – Did you make a compelling, impactful presentation? Did you clearly communicate your goals and vision to potential investors?

You can find  eligibility information on their website.

The New Venture Challenge competition is held in Chicago, IL.

Finalists are awarded:

• First Place: $50,000 equity investment and access to industry mentors and other resources.
• Second place: $25,000 equity investment and access to industry mentors and other resources.
• Third place: $15,000 equity investment and access to industry mentors and other resources.

New Venture Championship

The New Venture Championship is hosted by the University of Oregon and has been since 1987. The championship brings new ventures and innovative business ideas to life and the competition offers plan writing as a service to those who need it.

The University of Oregon New Venture Championship is open to university student teams with 2-5 members that have at least one graduate student involved with their venture. Students should be enrolled in a degree program or have finished their studies in the current academic year.

The New Venture Championship hosted by the University of Oregon is held in Eugene, Oregon.

Every business plan has a chance of winning a cash prize from $3,000 to $25,000 and additional benefits like plan coaching and office space rental.

Climatech & Energy Prize @ MIT

The Climatech & Energy Prize @ MIT is a competition that focuses on companies that are involved in the area of energy, environment, and climate change.

• Participants must be a team of two or more people.
• At least 50% of formal team members identified in the competition submission documentation must be enrolled as half-time or full-time college or university students.

The Climatech & Energy Prize @ MIT is held in Cambridge, MA.

The grand prize winner receives $100,000 and other winners may receive other monetary prizes.

Baylor Business New Venture Competition

This competition has been offered by Baylor for the last 20 years. It is designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs refine business ideas, and also gain valuable insights from judges and other entrepreneurs.

Must be a current undergraduate student at Baylor University or McLennan Community College.

The Baylor Business New Venture competition will be held at the Baylor University, Waco, TX.

The grand prize winner will receive $6,000. There are also other prizes given out to the other finalists in each category which are worth $1,500 – $2,000.

13th IOT/WT Innovation World Cup

The 13th IOT/WT Innovation World Cup was organized by the 13th IOT/WT Innovation World Cup Association. It was organized to provide a platform for innovators from all over the world to showcase their innovative ideas and projects. The competition aimed at drawing the attention of investors, venture capitalists, and potential business partners to meet with representatives from different companies and organizations in order to foster innovation.

The revolutionary Internet of Things and Wearable Technologies solutions from developers, innovative startups, scale-ups, SMEs, and researchers across the world are invited to participate. Eight different categories are available: Industrial, City, Home, Agriculture, Sports, Lifestyle, and Transport.

Only those submissions that have a functional prototype/proof of concept will advance in the competition, mere ideas will not be considered. 

The competition is held in Cleveland, Ohio also an important center for innovation and cutting-edge technology.

Win prizes worth over $500,000, connect with leading tech companies, speed up your development with advice from tech experts, join international conferences as a speaker or exhibitor, and become part of the worldwide IoT/WT Innovation World Cup® network. 

The U.Pitch is a competition that gives you a chance to share your idea and for the community of budding entrepreneurs, startup founders, CEOs, and venture capitalists to invest in your enterprise. It also provides mentoring by experts in the field.

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program
• Applicants may compete with either an idea OR business currently in operation
• Applicants must be 30 years of age or under

The U.Pitch is held in San Francisco, California.

Enter to win a part of the $10,000 prize pool.

At the core of CodeLaunch is an annual seed accelerator competition between individuals and groups who have software technology startup ideas.

If your startup has raised money, your product is stable, you have customers, and revenue, you are probably not a fit for CodeLaunch.

CodeLaunch is based in St. Louis, Missouri. 

The “winner” may be eligible for more seed capital and business services from some additional vendors.

New York StartUP! Business Plan Competition

The New York StartUP! is a competition sponsored by the New York Public Library to help entrepreneurs from around the world to develop their business ideas.

• You must live in Manhattan, The Bronx, or Staten Island
• Your business must be in Manhattan, The Bronx, or Staten Island
• All companies must have a big idea or business model in the startup phase and have earned less than $10,000

The New York StartUP! competition is held in New York, NY.

Two winners are chosen: 

•  Grand Prize – $15,000  
•  Runner-up – $7,500  

First, determine if the competition is worth your time and money to participate.

• What is the prize money?
• Who will be on the judging panel?
• Will there be any costs associated with entering and/or presenting at the competition (e.g., travel and lodging expenses)?

Once you’ve determined the worth of the competition, then shift to focusing on the details of the competition itself.

• What are the rules of the competition?
• Are there any disqualifying factors?
• How will you be judged during the different parts of the competition?

After conducting this research, it’s best to formulate an idea or product that appeals to the judges and is something they can really get behind. Make sure you thoroughly understand the rules and what is expected from your final product. Once you know what is expected from you, you’ll be able to refine and practice your pitch to help you move through the stages of the competition.

These competitions are a fantastic method to get new business owners thinking about business possibilities, writing business plans, and dominating the competition. These contests may assist you in gaining important feedback on your business concept or plan as well as potential monetary prizes to help your business get off the ground.  

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The Best 20 Business Plan Competitions to Get Funding in (2024)

Free Business Plan Template

Radhika Agarwal

• October 18, 2023

11 Min Read

Brilliant business ideas deserve 2 things for sure – Feedback and Funding.

And if you think you have a good business idea and have some bit of groundwork figured out, you may want to look into business plan competitions.

Now, what is a business plan competition? Why should you participate in one? How to find one that’s just right for your business?

We’ll discuss all of the above and more through this article.

What is a Business Plan Competition?

A business plan competition is an event that allows small businesses and startups to compete with each other, get feedback and advice on their business, and also can help you get your business funded.

Businesses are judged on several factors including execution, feasibility, innovation, etc.

How to Find a Business Plan Competition?

There are several business plan competitions listed on Google that you can look through. Different competitions have different eligibility criteria and guidelines. Go through all of that to know if it fits your business or not.

At the same time, it is important to check the credibility and check for any scams or illegitimate sites.

To make finding business plan competitions a little easier we have compiled a list of 20 popular and credible competitions that you can apply for.

Business Plan Competitions

• Global Student Entrepreneur Awards
• tecBRIDGE Business Plan Competition
• HATCH Pitch
• Rice Business Plan Competition
• New York StartUP! Business Plan Competition
• MIT 100k Business Plan and Expo
• FAU Business Plan Competition
• NIBS Business Plan Competition
• Pistoia Alliance President’s Startup Challenge
• College of New Jersey’s Mayo Business Plan Competition
• Next Founders Business Plan Competition
• TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield
• New Venture Challenge
• New Venture Championship
• Climatech & Energy Prize @MIT
• Baylor Business New Venture Competition
• 13th IOT/WT World Cup

1. Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

To encourage students across the globe to become entrepreneurs GSEA organizes this competition for students from all disciplines and countries. The main aim of the awards is to draw people towards entrepreneurship, shape their ideas, and become a catalyst for their business’s growth.

Eligibility

The student must enroll in a part-time or full-time undergraduate or graduate course.

The student should own or work as a founder or co-founder of the startup.

Only one person from the startup can represent it.

The person should either be 30 or under 30 years of age.

The startup should be running for at least 6 months from the date of application.

The startup should either generate $500 or get $1000 as investments at the time of application.

The startup shouldn’t have reached the final round of the competition in previous years.

For more details check out their website.

The competition is held at several locations across the world over months during a school year. The finals among the Top 4 teams are held at Goldman Sachs New York.

• First Prize: $25,000
• Second Prize: $10,000
• Third Prize: $5,000

Lodging and travel expenses are covered and additional prizes are handed out at the event.

2. tecBRIDGE Business Plan Competition

The tecBRIDGE competition is divided into two parts, with one for college students across 14 colleges and universities and a non-collegiate one for early-stage entrepreneurs.

( For Collegiate )

At least one member as a college student

The product must identify commercial solutions through technical processes.

( For Non-Collegiate )

The startup must gross less than $250k in revenue from its start date up to the last tax filing date.

It is held in Northeastern Pennsylvania every year. The businesses that win have to establish their headquarters there as well.

Prizes worth $100,000 are shared amongst the winning teams.

3. HATCH Pitch

Through the Hatch Pitch program, you get access to mentorship courses, discounted spaces, funds, education programs, financial consulting, and so on.

The product/ Service was launched within 2 years.

Founders should retain some part of the ownership.

Must actively participate actively in Hatch Pitch coaching.

Must receive less than $5 million in funds from third-party investors.

The competition is held at Entrepreneur space in Dallas.

Access to high-level incubators and mentorship.

4. Rice Business Plan Competition

The Rice University business plan competition is specially designed for college students to present their ideas to investors , get mentorship and help shape their ideas and business journey better.

Students managed or created businesses.

Consists of at least 2 college students, and one student pursuing a graduate degree.

Have raised less than $250k in equity capital.

Have generated less than $100k in any 12-month period.

Houston at Rice University, graduate school of business, hosts this event.

In 2021, the winners were awarded investments worth $1.6 Million , cash prizes, etc.

5. New York StartUP! Business Plan Competition

New York Public library sponsors this competition to help entrepreneurs from around the world. They give wings to their ideas.

Must live in Manhattan, Staten Island, or The Bronx.

Your business should be in any of the above places as well.

The idea or business model is in the startup phase and shouldn’t have earned more than $10,000.

The competition is held in New York.

A grand prize worth $15000 and a Runner Up prize worth $7500 .

6. MIT 100k Business Plan and Expo

MIT organizes this competition to promote innovation in the university as well as the world. It consists of 3 competitions throughout the year namely Pitch, Accelerate, and Launch.

Each team should enter one idea.

Participants must have original work ideas

Should disclose the received funding.

Hosted in Cambridge MA MIT campus from October to May through the academic year.

• Pitch: $5000 jury award and $2000 audience choice award.
• Accelerate: 20 finalists get industry-specific mentorship programs with a budget of $1000 each. The top 10 finalists compete for the Audience Choice award worth $10,000. The top 3 finalists immediately get into the finals of the launch.
• Launch: The winner gets a whopping amount of $100,000 while the runner gets $25000 .

Official Website MIT 100k

7. FAU Business Plan Competition

The Florida Atlantic University Business Plan Competition is for graduate and undergraduate students spanning all continents.

Undergraduate or graduate participants.

The competition is held at Florida Atlantic University, in Boca Raton, Florida.

First Prize: $5000 and Second Prize: $500

8. NIBS Business Plan Competition

The NIBS competition helps you discuss and give a boost to your ideas. It also helps you get industry experts guidance.

Entrants of legal age to have contracts as per the rules of their country of residence.

Should not hold any employment apart from their own company.

The plan must stand for a startup business and not an acquisition.

It is held in the USA.

There’s a cash prize for the first three places as well as an opportunity to get an incubator program for the winners.

9. Get Seeded

Get Seed is a two-part funding program for students in launching their businesses.

At least one student from a higher education institution in Utah is a must.

Should be enrolled for nine credit hours during that semester.

Utilization of funds to take the idea further.

Salt Lake City in Utah hosts the business plan competition.

A micro-grant worth $500 and a seeded grant from $501 to $1500

10. Pistoia Alliance President’s Startup Challenge

This competition was designed for startups focusing on digital and health technology.

Legally formed entities

The company must have less than 50 people.

Annual sales under $5 million.

The product should have been launched within 3 years.

Your country should not have USA’s trade restrictions imposed.

You can submit your ideas from anywhere.

Five finalists win $5000 and 2 winners receive $20,000 .

Official Website

11. College of New Jersey’s Mayo Business Plan Competition

This competition is held for students to appreciate new challenges.

The teams must consist of two and bot more than four students from the College of New Jersey.

The College of New Jersey hosts this event.

The winners get mentorship and guidance programs.

Check Official Website

12. Next Founders Business Plan Competition

This competition focuses on startups with an innovative approach to solving social problems and global needs.

It is for Canadian entrepreneurs with scalable, high-potential ventures.

The University of Toronto.

Up to 25,000 CAD$ in cash for funding your startup.

13. TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield

TechCrunch sponsors this competition which comprises two levels.

The companies must have a functional prototype of their product or service to present to the committee.

Different locations.

The winner gets $50,000 and two runner-ups get $5000 each.

Check Competition Website

14. New Venture Challenge

This competition is held at the University of Chicago. Three evaluation points for participants are – Innovation, Product Market Fit , and presentation.

The eligibility information is available on their website.

Chicago, IL.

1st Place: $50,000 ; 2nd Place: $25,000 ; 3rd Place: $15,000 . In addition to that, the winners get access to mentorship and resources.

15. New Venture Championship

This competition is for those with a good business idea. Even if you don’t have a business plan, you can participate as the competition provides optional plan writing services.

The team should have 2-5 members.

Should have at least one graduate student.

The students should be pursuing their undergraduate or graduate degrees.

Eugene, Oregon.

Teams have a chance to win cash prizes ranging from $3000 to $25,000 with additional benefits like mentorship and rented office spaces.

16. Climatech & Energy Prize @MIT

This competition is ideal for companies with a core focus on energy, climate change, and the environment.

The team must have more than 2 members.

At least 50% of part-time or full-time university students.

Cambridge, MA hosts this competition

The winner gets a sizable sum of $1,00,000 .

17. U.Pitch

This competition gives entrants a chance to present their ideas to people from different levels and spectrums in the business space and get an opportunity for investments and mentorship programs.

Undergraduate or graduate program students.

Functioning Business

Age up to or below 30

San Francisco, California hosts this competition.

Prizes worth $10,000 are given.

18. CodeLaunch

It is a seed accelerator competition for entrepreneurs who have technology startups.

The detailed eligibility criteria can be found on their website.

St. Louis, Missouri hosts these competitions, usually.

The winner gets seed fund capital and access to other additional resources.

19. Baylor Business New Venture Competition

Baylor launched this competition to help entrepreneurs discuss their ideas and get advice from judges.

An undergraduate student at Baylor University and McLennan Community College.

Baylor University, Waco, Texas hosts this competition.

The first prize winner receives $6000 . The other finalists win prizes ranging from $1500-$2000 .

20. 13th IOT/WT World Cup

The innovation world cup was started to give startups a chance to display their ideas and business. The competition aims to attract venture capitalists, investors, and potential business partners .

The startup should have a concept of innovative technologies.

You should have a functional prototype of the product.

Cleveland, Ohio hosts this event.

You get a chance at winning prizes worth $500,000 and connect with leading tech companies in your field.

Even if you don’t receive funds, there’s a lot of chance to network, get exposure, and get your ideas validated. Especially, if you are someone who’s new in the business space business plan competitions are a great way to learn the ropes of the trade.

So, go ahead, write your business plan , look up the details, and register for a competition that fits your business the best!

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with step-by-step Guidance & AI Assistance.

About the Author

Radhika is an economics graduate and likes to read about every subject and idea she comes across. Apart from that she can discuss her favorite books to lengths( to the point you\'ll start feeling a little annoyed) and spends most of her free time on Google word coach.

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• Founder at GrowthMentor
• 12 Dec 2023

Pitching competitions are to startup entrepreneurs what skydiving is to most people: a bucket-list item that’s both exciting and terrifying. To take the skydiving analogy further, joining a Startup Pitch Competition may be the only way for your business to land where it’s supposed to.

During such an event, you get to pitch to multiple investors, gain some valuable exposure, and get some equally valuable feedback. You will network, you will potentially build partnerships, but, most importantly, you will get a chance to secure funding and accelerate your business. All you need to do is jump from the airplane… but which one?

To take the guesswork out of the process, we’ve compiled below a list of the best Startup Pitch Competitions you can attend this year. Do your research to decide which one (or ones) is the best fit for you and your startup idea/business. Check the qualifications for entry and prepare your best pitch deck yet — make sure to steer clear of too much text or super busy visuals/animations.

And when it’s time to stand in front of the judges, contrary to skydiving, remember that you should open your “parachute” right away. Usually, you’ll have only a few minutes to wow your audience, so don’t wait: Cut straight to the chase, using language that’s simple but captivating. Show them you are your brand’s biggest fan… and they will probably become its fans too. See you on the stage!

Does pitching your idea make you nervous?

This could be the single most important moment of your life and determine your entire future – no pressure though!

Hopping on 1:1 calls with vetted startup mentors who have already raised millions of dollars themselves is an excellent way to prepare for your startup pitch.

Suggested Mentors for Pitch Prep:

• Itay Forer: YC alumni, Founder, Entrepreneur, Investor & Advisor
• Frank M. Savine: Portfolio raised $100mn in VC money, 4 exists under the belt
• Felix Wong: Seed Investor. Community Manager for Techstars in Asia Pacific.
• Manish Balakrishnan: Pitched to raise pre-seed and seed funding of $1.3mn at various startups
• Martin Adams: 3 exits, £40m in investment and £100m in revenue
• Miguel Á. López Trujillo: Fundraising + Sales & Business Development Mentor
• Erik Bullen: Top-ranked VC advisor and investor, Judge at MassChallenge, Mentor at Techstars
• Satwik Govindarajula: Head of Products at Seedstars
• Ari Bencuya: 3x Founder, ex-partner at incubator/accelerator, multiple exits

Learn more about how to connect with fundraising mentors here .

1. Startup World Cup 2023

Why you should go:.

The cream of the crop of the startup world will be there. The Startup World Cup (SWC), powered by Pegasus Tech Ventures, comprises 60+ regional events which culminate in the Grand Finale event in Silicon Valley.

There, the finalists can compete for one million USD in investment and attendees can network with top industry players. The all-star cast of judges has in previous years included names such as Apple’s Steve Wozniak and Netflix’s Marc Randolph.

KEY INFORMATION

• Location: San Francisco, California, USA
• Date: November 29-December 1, 2023. On 30th November you can attend workshops led by industry professionals
• Cost: Tickets to attend the finale on December 1 are between $100 – $490. You can buy them on Eventbrite
• Industry focus: Geared towards improving lives and transforming industries — such as with healthcare, artificial intelligence, robotics, transportation, financial technologies, IoT, augmented reality, and agriculture
• Amount you can win: $1,000,000 in investment

Official Website

2. Collision 2024

Despite the change of venue last year (bringing its 36,000 attendees to Toronto after three years in New Orleans), Collision still remains the fastest-growing tech conference in North America.

Attend various startup workshops, get in-person advice from investors, and join the ultimate startup battle at PITCH, the contest section of the conference where you can compete for three days with the top 70 startups, in order to be crowned winner.

You can use the event as an opportunity to connect with top-tier investors from the world’s leading funds and use the matchmaking tools to identify the best investors in your industry.

• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Date: June 17-20, 2024
• Cost: They are releasing a limited number of discounted tickets for Collision 2024 in Toronto; you can save 50% by registering for their flash sale where tickets cost CA$446
• Industry focus: Broad
• Amount you can win: There is no money — but there is a ton of exposure, and a PITCH trophy

Want help with your pitch?

3. TechCrunch Disrupt 2024

With previous winners including companies such as Dropbox and Trello, you know this is an event (and a pitch competition) not to miss. The Startup Battlefield at the Disrupt SF is always the place to be for early-stage startups who dream of taking over the world and impressing the TechCrunch judges.

200 of the top startups from around the world get to battle it out for the prize. As part of the event, they get access to training, masterclasses, and investor meet and greets.

Of the top 200, 20 finalists are invited for the final pitch round on the Disrupt Stage to battle it out for a $100k equity-free investment. Probably doesn’t get more Silicon Valley than that.

• Application: Applications for 2024 entrants open soon
• Date: Dates still tbc, 2024
• Cost: TBD, but you can get a $500 discount by registering early
• Industry focus: Ranging from Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and VR, to HealthTech and FinTech
• Amount you can win: A $100,000 equity-free prize

4. Web Summit PITCH 2024

If you haven’t had a major change in your business model in the last three years and your overall funding still amounts to less than five million euros… well it’s time to change all that.

Prepare to battle live with the world’s leading early-stage startups in front of more than 2,500 global journalists — and the CEOs and founders of some of the biggest companies in the world.

• Location: Lisbon, Portugal
• Date: November 11-14, 2024
• Cost: €950, but by pre-registering, you can get one extra ticket for free
• Industry focus: Technology
• Amount you can win: There is no monetary prize, but ask every previous winner and they will tell you the exposure is priceless

5. Slush 2023

This is the cool kids table. Or tables, given that Slush events take place in Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Helsinki, where the festival/conference first started. Slush is all about community building and facilitating founder and investor meetings run by successful entrepreneurs such as Nokia’s Risto Siilasmaa.

• Location:  Helsinki
• Date: November 30 – December 1, 2023
• Industry focus: Tech
• Amount you can win: There is no monetary prize, but you can take advantage of the Slush community; get speed mentoring and resources

6. South Summit Startup Competition

If you think your startup belongs among the world’s 100 most innovative, the South Summit Startup competition gives you the chance and the tools to prove it. You get the opportunity to attract the investment you need to take your business to the next level. Mentoring, exposure, and networking are all included for the 50 finalists who get to pitch at the event.

Taking place in Madrid, Spain, and Porto Alegre, Brazil, and with almost half of the projects having a Spanish origin, South Summit is a great place for all entrepreneurial voices to be heard.

• Locations/Dates: Porto Alegre, Brazil March 20-22 2024, Madrid, Spain, June 5-7 2024
• Keep in mind: Applications for Brazil close on 20 December 2023, and applications for Madrid close on January 31, 2024
• Cost: Prices range from €153-€1,364, depending on the types of ticket and areas of access, it’s free for startups to apply to pitch
• Industry focus: Any sector at any stage in development

7. Demo Day 2024

Demo Day is less of a startup competition and more of a culmination of a “slower” process. It starts with applying to Y Combinator for seed funding — they do two batches of mass funding per year, in return for a small equity in the funded companies — and relocating to the Bay Area if you are selected.

Demo Day takes place about 11 weeks after so that you can present your startup to an invite-only audience of approximately 1,500 investors and media, which can help you find later-stage investors.

• Location: Virtual
• Date: Applications for Winter 2024 are officially closed, but they accept applications until the end of Jan 2024; you can also apply for the Summer 2024 batch — Demo Day dates TBC
• Cost: There is no cost, but the event is private and attendance is invitation-only. You just need to snag that invite!
• Amount you can win: No monetary prize in Demo Day, but to even be in the process means you’ve already gotten funding from Y Combinator

8. Next Founders 2024

Another slower and more immersive option — this one geared to the Canada startup ecosystem. Next Founders accelerates your startup’s growth and your personal growth as a founder through mentoring and access to capital… You will also get your chance to present your startup during various events and attend many workshops before the big presentation on Venture Day.

• Location: Toronto, Ontario
• Date: The 2024 cohort runs from May 1 until August 8. Applications are open from February 1 – March 19, 2024. Get notified when applications open by filling out this form .
• Cost: There is no cost to participate in the program
• Industry focus: Broad, but you need to have a product in the market with existing customers

9. Utah Entrepreneur Challenge 2023-2024

This statewide business model competition is an excellent opportunity for students at one of Utah’s universities to compete for a cash prize — and also get valuable feedback and coaching.

• Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
• Date: The application period for the 2024 UEC is September 18, 2023, to February 21, 2024. The competition final is on March 23, 2024
• Cost: Free — but you can only join if you are a university student in Utah
• Amount you can win: $100,000 in cash, prizes, and awards to the top 20 finalists

10. Jacob Startup Competition 2024

JSC is one of the biggest startup competitions in Germany and brings together pre-seed startups from universities around the world with investors, speakers, mentors, their business partners, and more representatives from the German Startup scene. Each team or individual can benefit through the one-to-one mentoring process and win up to €3,000 in prizes.

To enter, at least half of your team needs to be bachelor’s or Master’s students enrolled in university.

• Location: Bremen, Germany
• Date: Applications are open until December 4, 2023, the second application round is between December 10 and January 8, followed by online mentoring for selected participants to meet their mentors. The final event, where the final 10 pitch their ideas takes place between 14th-16th March 2024
• Cost: Free. They cover parts of the travel cost and accommodation in Bremen for two of each team member at the final event. More members can attend without financial assistance
• Amount you can win: Prizes of up to 3,000€

11. SXSW EDU Launch Competition 2024

The Launch Startup Competition has a great impact on the future of teaching and learning. By attending, you can seek feedback, investment, strategic partnerships, and exposure.

Finalists have additional opportunities to showcase their ideas in front of the SXSW EDU community.

• Location: Austin, Texas
• Date: Applications to participate in the 2024 competition are now closed. The event takes place March 4-7, 2024.
• Cost: Free for the participants of the competition, but you can get SXSW EDU Badge which includes primary access to all EDU Events for $645 if you register early
• Industry focus: EdTech
• Amount you can win: No cash prize is awarded for winning the competition. Finalists receive a number of benefits, such as the opportunity to win one out of several awards, participate in Startup Spotlight, a cocktail-style reception where teams can connect one-on-one with attendees, demo products and receive valuable, real-time feedback, and many more

12. WMF Startup Competition 2024

With more than 4,300 startups applying, the WMF Startup Competition is one of the largest international competitions for innovative projects in Southern Europe, with attendees and international delegates from 89 countries.

Companies have a chance to present their reality to an audience of major players in the digital sector, investors, entrepreneurs, and experts in innovation, an audience who may actually decide to support the growth of a great business idea.

For the final 3-minute pitch, 6 finalists will be chosen to present, and then votes cast to decide the winner. One of the criteria for entering is that startups need to prove how they are accepting the challenges of the future.

• Location: Rimini EXPO Centre, Italy
• Date: June 13-15, 2024
• Cost: €549+VAT
• Industry focus: Broad, but requires innovative projects or ideas regarding the digital/technological sector
• Amount you can win: There isn’t a specific cash prize but the total value of prizes (services from the event’s partners) to date has been more than 3,300,000€

13. AWE USA Startup Competition 2024

The AWE USA Startup Pitch Competition is part of the AWE USA Event, which includes more than 6,500 attendees and 500 speakers. Since 2010 over 5,000 companies and 60,000 professionals have trusted AWE to connect, learn, and grow their business in the XR ecosystem.

By joining the Competition or attending the Event, you get the chance to present your company to a huge audience. You also get to be a part of a community that includes end-users and solution providers, investors and startups, brands, and creators and developers, job seekers, and recruiters.

• Location: Long Beach, California
• Date: June 18-20, 2024 (The deadline for pitch submissions is May 8 and pitching is on June 19)
• Cost: Prices range from $695-$2499, depending on types of ticket and areas of access. For finalists attending the final event is free. Early bird pricing ends on March 14
• Industry focus: Attendees are from a broad variety of industries, the startups pitching need to have an AR/VR-focused startup
• Amount you can win: No cash prize is awarded for winning the competition. The winning startup takes home a grand prize and is honored on the main stage at AWE USA 2024 with the winning title of “Start-up to Watch”

14. Inventures Startup Pitch Event

Inventures Startup Pitch finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their product or service to the program’s audience of venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, early adopters, business educators, and service providers.

Moreover, anyone attending will be able to network one-on-one with the audience members. There is free registration to all Inventures programming, access to professional coaching and on-site mentoring opportunities, and a chance to win $10,000 in funding.

• Location: Telus Convention Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• Date: May 29-31 2024 (Deadline for pitches March 15)
• Cost: There is no fee to apply when attending the program. Tickets for visitors are $749
• Industry focus: Any ALPHA and BETA startup in food tech, earth, tech, Quantum, AI, or IoT
• Amount you can win: $10,000 in funding, along with coaching and mentoring opportunities

15. Elevator Pitch Competition 2024

EPiC 2024 is a unique, worldwide competition for global startups to expand their footprints into Asia, giving both global and local mid-late-stage startups a chance to expand further, accelerate faster, and make a mark in Hong Kong and beyond.

Join EPiC 2024, challenge yourself with a 60-second pitch, and see how far you can reach!

Through the event, you get access to 1,000 potential investors and 350+ corporate partners.

• Location: Hong Kong Science Park
• Date: April 26, 2024
• Cost: There is no fee to apply when attending the program; they also offer sponsored air and accommodation to Hong Kong
• Industry focus: FinTech and PropTech
• Amount you can win: Up to $5,000,000.00 in investment and cash prizes worth a total of $240,000.00

16. Green Alley Award

The Green Alley Award is the first startup prize for the circular economy and, in 2024, will celebrate its 10-year anniversary. With 1,600 applications from more than 30 countries till today, the Green Alley Award’s purpose is to help realize ideas that make the most efficient use of resources and reduce waste drastically – from products to services and technologies.

Six startups will make it to the Grand Finale in Berlin, 5 selected by the judges and 1 by a public vote.

Applications to be in the 2024 Grande Finale are now closed.

• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Date: April 2024
• Cost: There is no fee to apply when attending the program
• Industry focus: Circular Economy – you need to have a product that focuses on recycling, waste prevention and digital solutions
• Amount you can win: 25,000€

17. Global Startups Awards

The Global Startups Awards has been running for 12 years in over 120 countries. The awards have produced 12 unicorns worth more than $47 Billion.

You first need to apply on a regional level; if you succeed you can make it to the global final. You need to apply in your region before 31st December 2023.

Even if you don’t make it into the competition, the GSA has a vast global network, and they can help introduce you to potential investors or help you get investment-ready.

• Location: Worldwide
• Date: Announcements for the finale will be made after regional events take place
• Cost: Free to enter, you need to buy tickets to attend the finale event
• Amount you can win: Undisclosed

Based in Slovenia, Podim has become the most influential startup event for businesses in the CEE region.

Get the chance to learn from world-class entrepreneurs, mingle with investors, and get inspired by other innovators. The conference also isn’t super-sized, which makes networking and connecting with relevant people much easier.

If you want to pitch your startup, you need to apply by March 15th, 2024; the Demo day is on May 7th, followed by the summit event in mid-May.

• Location: Maribor, Slovenia
• Date: 13-15th May 2024
• Cost: Between €145 – €590 depending on the level of access
• Amount you can win: The main prize is a 3-day accelerator event in London organized by Fundraising Bootcamp

19. Tech Chill Fifty Founders Battle

Fifty of the most promising startups from across Central and Western Europe, the Nordics, and the Baltics battle it out on the Tech Chill stage to impress the 200 investors in attendance at the event.

You can only apply if your startup hasn’t received more than €300,00k in equity investments.

Attending the event gives you media exposure and the chance to impress potential investors if you make it to the final pitch.

• Location: Riga, Latvia
• Date: April 19, 2024
• Cost: Between €79 – €259 (€700 if you want an expo package)
• Industry focus: Broad: you will be split into categories based on industry
• Amount you can win: €10,000 no-strings investment

20. Hello Tomorrow

With over 3,000 attendees and €150k given in past prizes, this competition is a great opportunity for emerging startups in the deep tech sector to get visibility.

This event is for you if you want to connect with relevant industry professionals, showcase your technology, and secure 1-1 meetings with potential VCs.

Finalists pitch in front of an audience of 400 and a jury of deep tech experts.

• Location: Paris, France
• Date: March 21-22 2024
• Cost: Between €370- €1,290
• Industry focus: Broad, but you need to be an early-stage deep-tech startup to compete
• Amount you can win: €100K Grand Prize, €30K 2nd prize and €20K 3rd prize – all equity-free, no strings attached

The Next Web is one of Europe’s biggest tech conferences, with attendees from the world’s biggest companies and investment funds.

If you’re actively looking to scale your business, being part of this event can help elevate your visibility.

Joining the TNW for Startups program gives you the opportunity to compete in the Pitch Battle Competition. Your deck will get reviewed by a jury of sponsors and investors, and if they like your idea, you’ll be able to pitch on stage in front of media, industry experts, and investors.

To be eligible, your company needs to be founded between 2016-2024, build or market software or hardware products and employ under 100 people.

• Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Date: June 20-21, 2024
• Amount you can win: No cash prize, but you get free press, free tickets, and a booth at the next TNW conference

22. EU Startups Summit

A gathering of more than 2,000 founders, angel investors, VCs, and media gather for two days of showcases, talks, and a pitch competition.

The 15 finalists (selected from over 1,500 applicants) get the opportunity to give a 3-minute pitch in front of a panel of judges and the event attendees. The winning team gains international visibility, new investor connections, and a prize package.

• Location: Valletta, Malta
• Date: May 9-10, 2024
• Cost: Between €169 – €600
• Amount you can win: Not disclosed

23. START Summit

A student-powered conference where future founders and leaders can connect with industry titans.

With over 6,000 participants and 160+ speakers, you can meet potential collaborators, and investors, and find opportunities in whatever industry you’re interested in.

Thirty early-stage startups (founded no later than 2021) can virtually present their venture to renowned VCs and industry leaders. The startups who make it to the final four will pitch in real life at the event in March.

• Location: Gallen, Switzerland
• Date: March 21-22, 2024
• Cost: Tickets go on sale December 5, 2023
• Amount you can win: 10,000 CHF

24. Venture Z

An exciting startup competition for Gen-Z entrepreneurs, this competition offers a platform for young founders to present their business ideas to a panel of expert judges.

Organized as part of the International Conference on Sustainability, this competition is for founders who want to build a lasting impact on society through a sustainable future.

If you are successful at getting into the program, you will get the opportunity to be part of the mentorship scheme.

• Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Date: February 18-22, 2024
• Cost: Free to enter
• Industry focus: Sustainable businesses
• Amount you can win: First prize wins 30,000 SAR, second place 20,000 SAR, third place 10,000 SAR

25. Startup Day

If you’re looking for funding and already have traction and a scalable business model, you can compete for up to €200k in investment.

The final 40 startups will receive pitching training, showcase their product on the main stage, and potentially receive equity-free cash.

Dozens of workshops will help you fill your skills gaps and meet potential collaborators. Get involved in the matchmaking service and attend networking events.

• Location: Tartu, Estonia
• Date: January 26, 2024
• Amount you can win: Up to €200k syndicate investment

Think you can win a startup competition?

Now that you know which startup pitch competitions are worth your time, here are a few tips on how to prepare for your startup pitch.

But if you need more 1:1 help, a mentor can help.

Talking to startup mentors that have “been there done that” and successfully raised funding from investors is a great way to soundboard your pitch and increase your confidence.

Get help with your pitch

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Top 20 Student Business-Plan Competitions

Say you have an awesome idea for a startup, something with real potential. There is, however, a pretty big problem: launching a business isn’t cheap, and as a student or recent graduate, it’s difficult to finance a business on your own. But, your idea is good. So what happens next? We’ve compiled a list of the top competitions aimed at current college undergraduates, graduate students, recent alumni, and high school students from all over the world to not only help you test your business model against what your peers are doing (and gain meaningful experience in the process), but also transform your idea into a reality.

1. High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge

Hosted by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah with sponsorship from Zions Bank, this competition is targeted at high schoolers with big ideas.

• What you need : A business idea that includes the following: a problem, a proposed solution, a targeted audience/customer and a prototype.
• Who can apply : Any Utah high-schooler aged 14-18. Teams are not required but can include up to 5 members.
• Where: This year’s events are expected to be virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• What you could win : Prizes vary in amount and type based on award received.
• 2020-21 Deadline : Apply by Feb. 17, 2021.
• Website : https://lassonde.utah.edu/hsuec/

2.  Blue Ocean High School Entrepreneurial Leaders

A global, virtual pitch competition for high school students aimed to provide feedback, advance ideas, and launch students’ futures.

• What you need : A 3-5 minute pitch for a big idea.
• Who can apply : Any student currently in high school.
• Where: This is a virtual event conducted through video submissions.
• What you could win : The grand prize winner receives $1,000, with other awards receiving up to $750. There are also opportunities for high schools to receive grant money, too.
• 2020-21 Deadline : Apply by Feb. 19, 2021.
• Website : https://blueoceancompetition.org/

3.  Get Seeded

Designed to help get ideas off the ground, this two-part milestone grant funding program seeks out students with measurable goals and helps fund the entrepreneurial process. This program is managed by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah and sponsored by Chad and Kristen Anselmo and doxy.me.

• What you need : A startup with short-term measurable milestones (prototyping, marketing, etc.) that can be achieved within 30-90 days.
• Who can apply : Any college student in Utah.
• Where: The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, though location is subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• What you could win : There are two grants opportunities: a microgrant of up to $500, and a Seed Grant for $501-1,500.
• 2020-21 Deadline : Regular grant intervals. See website for details.
• Website : https://lassonde.utah.edu/getseeded/

4. TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield

A competition for early-stage startups to receive equity-free prize money, as well as general investors and media attention.

• What you need : A mid-stage startup with clear ideas and product or service in the development stages.
• Who can apply : Anyone with a startup idea is invited to participate.
• Where: The first round of competition is regional, and is subject to change due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• What you could win : Global competition winners receive $100,000 in prize money.
• 2020-21 Deadline : Application dates have not yet been updated, as they vary by region.
• Website : https://techcrunch.com/

 5.  Hatch Pitch

Hosted with SXSW in Austin, Texas, until 2016, this is a competition focused on startups with information technology angles.

• What you need : A company in which the founders retain some portion of ownership, as well as a product or service that launched sometime in the past 2 years (or within 6 months after the Hatch Pitch event.)
• Who can apply : Anyone who meets the above criteria. There is no specific age limit or education requirement.
• Where: Houston, Texas, though location is subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• What you could win : Winners can receive any amount of funding based on investors’ interest. All contestants receive active coaching and mentoring, as well as publicity for their concepts.
• 2020-21 Deadline : Applications are received on a rolling basis.
• Website : https://www.hatchpitch.com/apply-full-form

6. Rice University Business Plan Competition

A virtual three-day competition that accounts for pitches, feedback, and judge interaction, designed to give entrepreneurs real-world experience.

• What you need : A business in the seed, startup, or early growth stages
• Who can apply : Any full-time or part-time U.S. graduate students. Teams must have at least one graduate student and a faculty advisor, but only students can present.
• Where: Rice University in Houston, Texas.
• What you could win : The grand prize winner receives $125,000 in equity capital from a Houston investment group as well as $20,000 in cash and about $80,000 in services. This includes a year’s worth of office space.
• 2020-21 Deadline : Apply by Feb. 2, 2021, for the April 5-9, 2021 competition.
• Website : https://rbpc.rice.edu/

7. New Venture Championship, University of Oregon

This virtual competition attracts students who want to “create something extraordinary,” and can bridge the gap between a market need and a real solution.

• What you need : A business majorly owned by students that has a faculty advisor, looking for seed capital.
• Who can apply : Teams of 2-5 students who created, manage, and own their ventures and who are allocated at least 50% of the startup’s equity. At least one member of the team is required to be enrolled in a graduate program from any field.
• Where : Portland, Oregon.
• What you could win : Up to $50,000 in prize money is up for grabs. If you don’t make it to the top round, you can still compete in a lightning round for prize money during the finals.
• 2020-21 Deadline : Applications are due by Feb. 14, 2021, to compete in the qualifying round (Feb. 15 – March 20).
• Website : https://business.uoregon.edu/nvc/details

8. ClimateTech & Energy Prize @ MIT

A competition aimed at any student who wants to change the way we handle energy.

• What you need : A business focused on one of four categories: Generating Energy, Delivering Energy, Improving Energy Usage or Energy for Developing Economies.
• Who can apply : University teams from across the United States.
• Where : Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• What you could win : The top two teams in each category go on to compete for a $100,000 Grand Prize and other monetary prizes.
• 2020-21 Deadlines : Applications due on Feb. 5, 2021.
• Website : https://cep.mit.edu/intro

9. Baylor Business New Venture Competition

Hosted by Baylor University, this two-track competition is nationwide.

• What you need : A business in one of two competition tracks: Internet and Consumer Technology and Non-Internet and Consumer Technology Companies. Internet and Consumer Technology companies must aim to impact one of the following industries: Internet Services, Internet Security, Info Tech, Software Cloud, Mobile Tech, Mobile Apps, Mobile Commerce, Web/e-Commerce, Social Commerce, Social Networking, Social Media, Social Gaming, Video Gaming.
• Who can apply : Current students or recent alumni (within the last 15 months) in teams with 2-4 members.
• Where : Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
• What you could win: All prizes are in cash and range from a grand prize of $60,000 to $1,500 for second and third-round winners.
• 2021-2022 Deadlines : Dates have not yet been updated for the following year. The 2021 competition can be streamed from Mar. 25-27, 2021.
• Website : https://www.baylor.edu/business/newventurecompetition/

10. Innovation World Cup Series

This is a global competition split into categories where participants connect and compete in a convention setting.

• What you need : A business that is involved in the internet of things or wearable technology in the fields of Home, City, Lifestyle, Industrial, Transportation, Healthcare, and Retail.
• Who can apply : If you are 18 or older and in no way affiliated with Navispace, the host, you can apply.
• Where : Munich, Germany.
• What you could win: Prize pool of $500,000, with networking and exposure included
• 2020-21 Deadlines : Applications are open now, and due by Sept. 22, 2021.
• Website : https://www.innovationworldcup.com/13th-iot-wt-innovation-world-cup/

11.  Utah Entrepreneur Challenge

A business-model competition for all college students in Utah. This competition is hosted by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah and sponsored by Zions Bank.

• What you need : A business model of any type.
• Who can apply : University students currently enrolled in Utah colleges.
• Where : The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, though location is subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• What you could win : Grand prize is up to $40,000 in cash, with additional prizes, like Best Speed Pitch, ranging in dollar amounts
• 2020-21 Deadlines : Applications close on Feb. 8, 2021.
• Website : http://lassonde.utah.edu/uec/

12. Postcode Lottery Green Challenge

One of the largest sustainable entrepreneurship competitions, participants compete with international entrepreneurs for the best green business plan.

• What you need : A business must have the potential to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by a measurable amount, should be developed enough to execute should be realizable as a usable product or service within the next two years.
• Who can apply : Anyone 18 years or older whose business is located in Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, or Sweden.
• Where : The finals are hosted in Amsterdam, where you will present your idea to the jury (reasonable expenses covered for one person).
• What you could win : Grand prize winner receives €500,000. Second place receives €200,000, and other finalists receive €100,000.
• 2020-21 Deadlines : Dates have not yet been updated.
• Website : http://www.greenchallenge.info/entry-criteria

13. University Startup World Cup

This competition is hosted and organized by a Danish non-profit, Venture Cup. Their mission is to establish connections among student entrepreneurs internationally, as well as teach and advise young people about the world of business.

• What you need : Preferably, a business that fits into one of the following categories: Healthtech, Greentec, Fintech, Hightec & Robotics, or Information Communication technology. However, if your idea is cool enough, they’ll accept anything.
• Who can apply: Only student startups may enter. Therefore, all teams must have at least one person who is a student, faculty member, or recent graduate (within the year they’re applying). However, if you’re looking for team members, Venture Cup can help connect you to people with similar ideas.
• Where: The location is not certain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• What you could win : Grand prize is $15,000.
• Website : https://venturecup.dk/uswc/

14. Get in the Ring  

One-on-one, regional, and global face-off between startups that takes place in a literal ring.

• What you need : A “high potential” startup that is 8 years or younger with an innovative and scalable business idea or model.
• Who can apply : Anyone with a business fitting the above-described model.
• Where : The beginning stages of the competition are regional, and vary based on your location. Finals are hosted in a different location internationally every year. Travel cost to finals is covered.
• What you could win : GITR offers immense exposure for your business by placing you in a ring where you “battle” other entrepreneurs using your business pitch in front of investors and businesspeople. Grand prize winners receive a seat at the table with hand-picked advisors and investors, and title.
• 2020-21 Deadlines : Dates vary by region.
• Website : https://getinthering.co/gm2021/

15. U. Pitch

This national competition brings university students from all disciplines together to contend for the best 90-second pitch.

• What you need: A company or idea to start a for-profit company with headquarters in the U.S.
• Who can apply : Current university students or graduates within the last six months.
• Where : 100% virtual.
• What you could win : Up to $10,000 in prizes and cash.
• 2020-21 Deadlines : Applications open in the fall of 2021. You can sign up to get notified here .
• Website : https://futurefounders.com/startup/upitch/

16. Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards

This competition brings women from six regions of the world to showcase their ideas.

• What you need : A for-profit startup with at least one year of revenue.
• Who can apply : Only women may apply for this competition.
• Where : Finalists attend awards week in Singapore, where the final round commences.
• What you could win : Grand prize is $100,000. All runner ups receive $30,000.
• 2020-21 Deadlines : Application deadlines have not yet been updated.
• Website : https://application-form.cartierwomensinitiative.com/new-application

17. G-Startup Worldwide  

This is a global competition that supports young entrepreneurs in the early stages of a startup with funding and a network of investors.

• What you need : A product that is making a positive impact, showing traction in the market, and is involved in AI, Mobile, IoT, Wearables, FinTech, Cyber Security, Smart Cars, AR/VR, Space, Robotics/Drones, Education, Enterprise, Health, AggTech, or Social and eCommerce.
• Who can apply : Any startup meeting the previous requirement that is registered as a company.
• Where : First rounds are regional. Finalists compete in Silicon Valley.
• What you could win : Winners of regional competitions receive cash prizes, travel opportunities, and networking invites.
• Website : http://g-startup.net/

18. Axel Springer Plug and Play

While competitive, this 100-day program is more of an accelerator than an out-right competition. They require 5% equity in exchange for participation.

• What you need : A business model for digital entrepreneurship.
• Who can apply : Anyone with an early-stage company and a Pitch-Deck.
• Where : Location varies. Check the website below for more details.
• What you could win : €50,000, valuable time to pitch in front of investors, and experience.
• 2020-21 Deadlines : Deadlines vary based on location and stage of company.
• Website : http://www.axelspringerplugandplay.com/#home-section

19. Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition

Inspired and promoted by the United Nations, this competition takes place through three stages of online submission and selection.

• What you need : Innovative ideas and projects with a societal impact. Must involve one or more of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals .
• Who can apply : Anyone aged 13-29 (or 30+ in the Adult Citizen Entrepreneurship category).
• Where: Winners are invited to the Summit in Berlin in October of every year.
• What you could win : Recognition at the Summit and the UN’s acknowledgement.
• 2020-21 Deadlines : Applications open in Spring 2021.
• Website : https://www.entrepreneurship-campus.org/about-the-competition/

20. CodeLaunch

Annual seed accelerator for people and groups with ideas for “apps” who are seeking seed funding. Entries are submitted online.

• What you need : Any software ideas are taken, even just having an idea for an app is acceptable.
• Who can apply : Anyone that fits the previous criteria.
• Where : Finals are hosted in Texas, dates change every year and might be impacted by COVID-19.
• What you could win : Applicants chosen to attend CodeLaunch pitch day compete in front of judges poised to invest. Overall winner receives custom software design, development, and/or website development, hosting services, and a partnership with Code Authority. Winners may also judge the following year’s competition.
• Website : https://www.codelaunch.com/

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About the author: jacqueline mumford.

2 thoughts on “ Top 20 Student Business-Plan Competitions ”

Thanks Jacqueline for this comprehensive list. I wish I had this information 15 years ago. Had a great idea, pitched it to some venture firms and was turned down and saw the same idea skyrocket to the top two years later when someone else came with the same idea and presented it in a much more convincing way to the investors.

The Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs is another event that provides microfinancing for undergraduate women-led ventures. Total cash prize pool is $100,000. http://www.smith.edu/draper

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Business portal for young professionals

The best business plan competitions in 2021

📝  Editor’s note:  Make sure to bookmark this page as we keep on adding and reviewing new business plan competitions to the list.

It has become a tradition of ours to share an annual overview of new ways you how you can raise funds to start and grow your venture.

Business plan competitions are great  opportunities  to get funding for your business ideas, feedback on your strategic plan, and exposure to the right audience.

This is also a smart way to expand your network, acquire new talent, partners and clients as well as gain feedback on your idea and your business strategy.

The following list includes competitions for budding and current entrepreneurs and those who just consider  entrepreneurship  as their first career choice.

The list offers a diverse variety of opportunities: business plan competitions, elevator pitches, business student conferences and case competitions that encourage innovation from all imaginable industries and backgrounds.

We have picked the gems that you can apply for in 2021 with your business idea and we have listed them in chronological order. Good luck!

Rice Business Plan Competition

Deadline:  February 2, 2021  | Apply  here Prize:  more than $1.5 million in cash and prizes Eligibility:  Any graduate-student startup, in a broad range of industries, from any university, in any degree program, can apply to the RBPC

The Rice Business Plan Competition is the world’s richest and largest graduate-level student startup competition.

It provides an unparalleled experience for the participants by designing a diverse program over the course of three days, with significant time designated for feedback and interaction with the judging panel.

HBS New Venture Competition

Deadline:  February 3, 2021  | Apply  here Prize:  $300,000 in cash Eligibility:  Participating teams require at least one Harvard Business School MBA student who plays a primary role in the business. The HBS student should be a part of the founding team and a significant equity holder if equity has been distributed. There is a $1,500,000 limit in seed capital raised and a $2,000,000 limit in revenue generated.

New Venture Competition provides a unique opportunity for students to put entrepreneurship principles into practice with an integrative learning experience.

Whether you are a winner of prizes, go on to implement your proposed new venture idea, or simply take advantage of the learning and apply it later in your career, the Competition will be an exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience.

Utah Entrepreneur Challenge

Deadline:  February 8, 2021  | Apply  here Prize:  $100,000 in cash and prizes Eligibility:  The team must be organized and directed by a student from a college or university in the state of Utah; The founding student must be an active student during both semesters of the competition year; The student team members must be involved in all aspects of the UEC competition

The Utah Entrepreneur Challenge (UEC) is a statewide, student business model competition. Teams from universities across the state compete for the best business model and a chance to win $100,000 in cash and prizes.

The grand prize is $40,000. We invite the public and special guests to enjoy the final showcase and awards ceremony in the spring.

New Venture Championship

Deadline:  February 14, 2021  | Apply  here Prize:  more than $50,000 in total cash awards Eligibility:  The competition is for student-created, managed, and owned ventures. Teams of 2-5 students of which least one member of the team is required to be enrolled in a graduate program are encouraged to apply

Presented by the University of Oregon’s Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship, the New Venture Championship ( NVC ) is the Pacific Northwest’s original six-round business competition, setting the standard followed by others.

Teams from elite universities come to Portland every year to pitch their venture plans and vie for more than $50,000 in total cash awards.

Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs

Deadline: February 26, 2021, 2021 | Apply here Prize: This year’s competition provides more than $100,000 in cash and prizes, including a $25,000 cash prize as well as a Draper University Scholarship for the Grand Prize winner  Eligibility: The competition is for new, for-profit, independent ventures in the seed, start-up or early growth stages. Ventures with a social impact focus are eligible as long as there is a revenue-generating component to the venture. Ventures that qualify for 501(c) status are not eligible. Each team must have at least one eligible Team Member who is an undergraduate woman at any accredited not-for-profit college or university located in the United States.

The annual Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs is designed to hone the skills that undergraduate women need to advance from idea to venture creation.

Through multiple rounds of competition, students demonstrate an understanding of a problem, why the problem requires a new venture to address it, and how their idea presents the best solution to the problem.

Harriet Stephenson Business Plan Competition

Deadline: March 7, 2021 | Apply here Prize:  Grand Prize   $10,000  Eligibility:  Teams that include active Seattle University students enrolled either full-time or part-time in degree programs during one or more of the following academic periods: Summer 2019, Fall 2019, Winter 2020, or Spring 2020 and alumni who have graduated from SU prior to the Summer 2019 academic period

The HSBPC is a public event and draws hundreds of investors, advisors, business leaders, community members, students, alumni, and faculty as audience members.

It is designed to help students and alumni in launching new business ventures, including for-profit businesses, not-for-profit businesses, corporate entrepreneurship, and social enterprise

Augustana College Business Plan Competition

Deadline: March 8, 2021 | Apply here Prize: The first-place award is $4,500; second place $3,000, third place $1,500; and $500 each to the remaining two teams. Eligibility:  All current students may submit written business plans, and the best five plans will be invited to compete

The fifth annual Augustana College Business Plan Competition invites teams or individual students to present their ideas to a panel of business professionals.

Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

Deadline:  varies depending on the location |  Apply  here Prize:  Prizes are generally a combination of cash and business services and will vary by location. At the Global Finals, students compete for a prize package of US$25,000 in cash Eligibility:  You must be enrolled for the current academic year in a university/college as an undergraduate or graduate student at the time of application. The age cap for participation is 30 years of age

The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) is the premier global competition for students who own and operate a business while attending college or university.

Nominees compete against their peers from around the world in a series of local and/or national competitions in hopes to qualify for GSEA Finals. Founded in 1998 by Saint Louis University, GSEA is now an Entrepreneurs’ Organization program.

Next Founders

Deadline:  March 17, 2021 | Apply here Prize:  $300,000 in cash Eligibility:  Next founders is for Canadian founders of scalable, high-growth ventures

Next Founders accelerates the growth of Canada’s most promising entrepreneurs by providing mentorship, access to capital, and unparalleled entrepreneurial education taught by world-class faculty.

Next Founders is a flexible program, offering à-la-carte education from some of North America’s top minds that you can opt-into based on your individual needs.

U.Pitch Competition

Applications open:  Fall 2021 Prize:  $10,000

U.Pitch brings together the best students from a cross-section of universities in this ultimate national elevator pitch competition. In just 90 seconds, students compete for national recognition and a prize pool of $10,000.

They also have the opportunity to showcase their idea or startup in front of hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders and other students from the entrepreneurial community.

MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition

2021 Applications TBA Prize:  More than $300K in non-dilutive funding is awarded to accelerate the winning ventures Eligibility:  Each team must have at least one currently registered MIT student; if you are submitting as an individual, you must be a currently registered MIT student.

The MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition has brought together students and researchers from across MIT and Greater Boston to launch their talent, ideas, and technology into leading companies.

🏆 Did we miss any of the business plan competitions that you think we should include to our list? Let us know by filling in our  contact  form.

For more business  opportunities , check our  opportunities  section and subscribe to our  weekly newsletters.

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How to Win a Business Plan Competition

8 min. read

Updated May 10, 2024

Have you considered business plan competitions as part of your startup strategy? I’ve personally seen startups get more than a million dollars in investment at the annual Rice University Business Plan Competition, held every April. I’ve also seen startups raise tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant money at competitions hosted by the University of Oregon and the University of Texas. And I’ve read about startups getting good money from outside universities, in competitions held by business development organizations and businesses. And this is now worldwide, not just in the U.S. 

As I write this, I just did a web search for business plan competitions, and came up with dozens of them coming up in 2022. I judged a University of Oregon business plan competition just last month. 

I’ve never entered a business plan competition, but I’ve been judging them since 1997. I’ve done multiple stints at several of the majors. And I’ve developed some pointers and tips to help you win your next business plan competition. 

• 1. Know the judging guidelines

As business plan competitions have grown and developed, most of them have fine-tuned the details of judging procedures and criteria. For example, many ask judges to choose which entrant is the best investment for outsiders. That’s different from which is the best business or which they would rather own or share in. The key point there is that criterion essentially dismisses good startups that don’t need outside investment to grow. 

I’ve seen startups successfully tailor their plans and pitches to aim at outside investment rather than self funding. That, in my opinion, is the right way to adjust to the specific criteria. 

You should also be aware of judging guidelines governing questions, comments, interruptions of pitches, plan and pitch length, and so forth. Some business plan competitions ask the judges to listen quietly to a pitch, without interrupting. Others encourage judges to interrupt at will, as they would in a real investment pitch. Startups have to know and plan accordingly. 

• 2. Research who you are pitching to

In most of the business plan competitions I’ve seen, judges are a collection of venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, and local business leaders. That’s predictable. The organizers of these competitions ask local people to participate, as volunteers, as judges. So they look for people who know the general territory of startups, business plans, pitches, and investment. 

Different judges have different sets of expertise. I’ve seen attorneys, accountants, and medical doctors as judges, along with investors in general. Read their biographies before you finalize your pitch. Know what experience and background they have. This can help a lot as you deliver a pitch and field questions.

• 3. Refine your pitch deck and get feedback

Start with a good deck of slides . Understand what your slide deck is supposed to do: ideally, it’s a collection of useful and/or beautiful images that focus attention on what you are saying, add depth to what you are saying, and sets the structure to what you say. For example, as you discuss the problem your startup solves, you project a beautiful image that illustrates the problem you solve. You want your investors to focus on you and your words, not read words from your slides. Avoid the so-called “death by PowerPoint” meaning the boredom of a speaker reading slide bullet points to a captive audience.   

We have a lot of information for you, on this site, about doing your slide presentation for a business pitch. All of that applies to the pitch component of a business plan competition. That includes How to Create a Pitch Deck , 15 Tips for a Successful Pitch , T he 11 Slides Your Need for a Pitch Deck , and others. 

Practice makes perfect . Trite but true. In my experience, the best pitches are practiced a lot but not memorized. The slide images stand as placeholders to set the flow of topics. They provide visual emphasis. But the speakers use their own words and let it flow differently each time they do it. The best have been over the pitch a lot, with others listening and poking holes where they can. So they have a good guess on what questions might come up, and how they will respond to those questions when they do. You might look at this article on how to get feedback on your pitch . 

• 4. Develop a memorable hook

You have just a few seconds to make that important first impression. Call that a hook. You want judges’ attention from the very beginning. Maybe you tell a story of a real person suffering the problem you want to solve. Ideally, in that case, your first slide is a picture of that problem. Maybe you share the vision of how this will help the world. That can start with an image too. 

Hooks are hard to generalize, but it’s all about getting the judges to care. It’s most often about the problem a startup solves, the size of the need, the importance of the solution. But it might also be the ambitious goals, if you can make the judges care about that. Be creative. Put yourself in the place of an investor, sense business plan competition judges are usually thinking as investors. What makes this exciting to the investor? What’s the best thing to make them care from the beginning. 

• 5. Share any traction

Being able to show actual achieved traction is a huge advantage in a business plan competition. Most competitions invite startups at very early stages, often long before launch or even serious steps towards execution. The startup that already has traction is way ahead of the competition. 

What makes traction depends on your type of business. Maybe it’s proven research, subscribers, customers, distributors, letters of intent, users, and so forth. Generally, there’s nothing stronger than actual paying customers. 

• 6. Show realistic market potential and growth

Don’t ever think that in a business plan competition the biggest market wins. It’s so very much not that simple. Credibility and realism are critical. I’ve seen judges not choose a startup that was going to cure cancer, with a projected market of billions, because they just didn’t believe it. I’ve seen judges routinely reject unbelievable big numbers. 

Yes, of course, bigger is better, but only within that framework of credibility. The method and assumptions and transparency of a projection is very important. The best market projections build from the bottom up, with believable assumptions about drivers: stores, channels, web views, traffic, sales funnels. Numbers should start at the base drivers and build up to the bigger numbers. 

• 7. Prepare relatable stories

Stories are vital to business success and that includes in business plan competition. Your hook is a story. Your problem and solution are a story. How people find and buy that solution is another story. Business planning is in many ways telling stories first and then planning how to make them come true. The stories are vital to your success in a business plan competition. You hint at them in an elevator pitch, tell them in the business pitch, and show them and how they can come true in your business plan. 

• 8. Keep things short and straightforward

Business plan competition judges are busy people. They have a lot of distractions. Boredom is your enemy. Time is the scarcest resource. Keep your pitches moving. Once you lose their attention, it is very hard to get that back. Stay on point. Move it forward fast. 

In a pinch, use your slide deck to help. Click on the next slide. That should move you to the next topic. 

• 9. Prove you are uniquely qualified

Most business plan contest judges are investors and most investors agree that choosing a startup is often more about the jockey than the horse. I’ve often seen judges reject a good plan with a good product and market but an unconvincing team. Show why your team background and qualifications make you uniquely qualified. Usually that means track records, industry experience, related credentials, accomplishments, market knowledge, product knowledge, and commitment. Simply put: why you?  

• 10. Have your business plan prepared to share

Start with the obvious: Make sure you are aware of each business plan competition’s specific requirements for the plan itself. Most of them set down standards for how many pages. Some set just page count while others will distinguish between text pages and pages containing illustrations and/or financial projections. Many business plan contests also specify pagination and details for the executive summary. 

Pay special attention to the summaries. Many judges will read just the summaries well and skim the rest, and then screen and grade plans based mainly on the summary information. Make sure you show the highlights first, and well. What highlights? That depends on your unique plan. For some, technology is most important. For others, it’s the market, or the team experience. You have to know what best sets you apart, and put that where judges will see it. 

In a business plan competition, the quality of presentation in the plan — writing and formatting as well as content — is especially important. Be careful with text, diction, spelling, grammar, and formatting. Don’t let important information get lost in details. You are going to be graded on the quality of the document. 

• Get funding for your business

Finally, maybe as a conclusion, let’s remember that winning a business plan competition is one way to get funding for your business. Winnings can be very helpful. I’ve seen startups come up with hundreds of thousands of dollars and in a couple specific cases (at the Rice Business Plan Competition in Houston) more than a million dollars in angel investment by winning a business plan competition. And I’ve seen startups come up with tens of thousands of dollars as simple grants, no strings attached, as prizes for winning a business plan contest. 

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

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How To Win A Business Plan Contest

A well-developed business plan creates the foundation on which a successful startup will be able to establish itself, and is especially necessary when considering participation in a business plan contest or pitch event. When every factor is considered – market and industry, finance, marketing, operations, and etc. – success becomes a long-term plan as opposed to a hope for a stroke of startup luck. Along with a solid pitch and pitch deck, a business plan is a critical element in your journey to landing a successful seed funding round. Writing an  investor-ready business plan  can be difficult, but securing funding without a solid plan in place is pretty much impossible.

Once you finally get the perfect business plan written, what’s next? For those who are far enough along in their business, submitting the plan directly to investors might be a wise step. For those who aren’t quite ready to approach VCs yet, but could use a financial boost to get things going, participating in business plan contests can be a tremendous help. Not only do these competitions often provide significant rewards for the winners, but they also often draw the attention of angels, VCs, and even corporations looking to invest in or partner with the next billion-dollar startup.

Unfortunately, where there is honey there are bees – business plan contests often attract some of the brightest minds, and the higher the reward, the more competition you can expect. In this post, we’ll explore everything you need to know to find a great business plan contest, enter it with confidence, and win against other participating startups!

The Benefits of Winning A Business Plan Contest

Business plan competitions are beneficial platforms that allow entrepreneurs to showcase their idea, product, or startup to a group of judges. Often, these competitions involve pitching the idea or startup to judges over one or more rounds. Once each competing startup has presented, judges vote on which business (or businesses) will receive the offered reward.

While business plan competitions highly benefit winning startups, they offer immense benefits to investors who attend them also – access to early-stage businesses that they can invest in before others have the opportunity. Furthermore, these competitions work to even out the playing field for entrepreneurs who otherwise may not have access to investors – winning a business plan contest could be the difference between funding your business’ launch or failing before you even get the chance to begin.

The most obvious benefit of winning a business plan contest is winning the offered reward. The reward value of these contests can vary from small amounts to extremely large amounts.  For example, the Panasci Business Plan Competition by Syracuse University offers around $35,000 in total rewards, while the Rice Business Plan Competition offers over $1.2 million in seed funding to its winners and runner-ups. Winning the right competition can impact your business greatly; providing you with the  app funding  required to progress your business from the app idea phase to launch and beyond. There is something that should be considered though – some business plan competitions may come with specific conditions that must be met to receive the funding; such as headquartering the business in a certain location, offering up an equity percentage, or being involved in a startup incubator for some length of time.

High-profile angels and VCs often attend larger business plan competitions, and even participants that don’t win the contest may attract the attention of an investor. In some cases, teams that don’t win may end up with larger investments than those that the judges selected for first place. Investors aren’t always looking for the same things in a startup; your idea might not be of much interest to the judges, but may be exactly what an attending investor was looking for! These investors aren’t only good for the funds they bring – some of them may provide a critical mentorship component to your startup; helping to advise your team for greater success down the line.

Lastly, one of the least recognized but most effective benefits of participating in a business plan competition is having your business plan and startup critically reviewed by experienced judges, entrepreneurs, and investors. Even if you don’t win, the insight provided by the panel of judges will offer different perspectives regarding your startup. Ultimately, by applying this insight, you can further position your startup for success when participating in future events.

Finding The Right Business Plan Contest

The unique beauty of business plan contests is that they are relatively ubiquitous – and today, more competitions are popping up than ever before. A variety of organizations, educational institutions, and even individuals organize business plan competitions to seek out investable and fundable business ideas. In general, most business plan contests can be grouped into two categories:

• University Competitions: Many major universities organize some type of business plan contest through their business school. Eligibility may vary from contest to contest, but these contests are typically only available to those connected to the business program – students, alumni, and in some cases, even on-staff professionals. Due to these eligibility requirements, competition is generally limited – which means that participants have a much larger chance of winning when compared to contests with less regulation. Furthermore, universities know that any successful startups launched through these contests will give their business program a major boost in visibility and credibility. As a result, universities often go a step above to support winners of these programs – providing additional on-campus resources or even access to alumni professionals that can help them advance their businesses.
• Sponsored Contests: Sponsored business plans are those that are planned and hosted by an organization, corporation, individual or other entity. Specifically, these organizers ‘sponsor’ the competition – organizing the event, involving investors and judges, and securing rewards to incentivize winners and participants. Sometimes, these competitions may be sponsored by companies within a specific sector such as biotech, healthcare, urban transit, architecture, and etc.; while other times they may be part of a larger  startup incubator  or accelerator program.  

Business plan and  pitch deck  competitions take place several times each year in most major cities – and even in many less popular upcoming startup regions. If you are a student or alumni, check with your university to see if they have a business plan competition in place – if not, maybe you can help them organize one! For those who are not eligible to join a university-sponsored competition, a simple Google search will provide you with several options. Search for “industry name + business plan contest” or “city + business plan contest” to see what upcoming business plan contest events you may be eligible to participate in.

Winning Big At Your First Business Plan Contest

Participating in a business plan contest can be extremely valuable, but the real goal is to win – and to win big! The key to winning a business plan competition of any type is to know what the judges are looking for and to position your startup, business plan, and pitch to exceed their expectations.

Judging The Judges

In general, whether you win a business plan contest or not will hinge upon how your business idea is perceived by the panel of judges, and how they perceive you as an entrepreneur and presenter. It is worth noting that judges often come from various backgrounds with varied experiences; what may be a top consideration for one judge may make little difference to another. However, most judges compare businesses on at least the following three factors:

• Originality: Successful business ideas need to be original in nature and able to improve upon an existing solution, solve a wide-scale problem, or effectively meet the current market demand. Businesses that simply spin-off from other successful ideas are not looked upon favorably by judges or investors – since they usually have little advantage to compete against already established players. To win a business plan contest, it is essential that your idea is fresh, scalable, sustainable and eventually, profitable.
• Ability To Generate Profit: Even the most creative ideas need to be able to turn a profit at some point. Understandably, most investors aren’t interested in funding businesses that won’t provide them with a return in the long-run. In order to gain interest in your business during a contest, your business plan should show exactly how your business will provide a return for investors in the long-term. While some investors may be interested in other aspects of a business, such as their social consciousness or involvement, the majority of investors are looking for opportunities to grow their portfolio by investing in businesses that are capable of generating strong profits.
• Effective Presentation : It’s not always the best idea that wins a business plan competition. A perfect business plan and an exciting idea means very little if an entrepreneur can not properly convey their message during their presentation. In most contests, participants are given a set time limit (such as 10 minutes) to present – and expressing all the necessary information within this time period can be rather difficult. Judges look for confident entrepreneurs who can articulate their business enough to convey the efficacy and scalability of their idea properly. The knowledge an entrepreneur needs to possess doesn’t end with just the text presented in their business plan or  pitch deck . Most often, there is a Q&A portion during these events in which the entrepreneur will be required to answer specific questions by judges and investors. The inability to answer these questions properly and confidently can quickly dissuade an investor from investing, or can cause a judge to give a lower score than they would have otherwise.

Preparing For Business Plan Contest Success

Success at these events is often linked to how well an entrepreneur has prepared themselves beforehand. One thing is certain – your competitors will be prepared; and if you aren’t, it will be embarrassingly noticeable. Unfortunately, in a business plan contest, there is no way to mask unpreparedness, especially among an audience of experienced entrepreneurs and investors. To best prepare for an upcoming business plan competition, consider the following tips:

• Sell A Strong Team:  There is one thing that’s more important than having a great business plan – having a strong and experienced team that can actually execute it. Management teams are what bind all the elements of a business plan together; combining the skills necessary to put the plan into action successfully. It is vital that your team encompasses a broad range of skills and that each team member has a specific job that will lead to the startup’s success.
• Present The Problem First : Startups that win (in contests and in general) are those that truly solve an existing problem – whether the problem is shared by a mass group of people, or by a niche audience. There’s a lot of “cool tech” out there, but even simple ideas can solve major problems. Taxis have existed for decades, but a simple idea like ride-sharing changed the way the world views personal transportation. Prepare a pitch that is challenge/solution heavy by focusing on what the problem is, why individuals experience the issue, why current solutions don’t solve the challenges effectively, and why your product/service is the right solution for the problem.
• Know Your Funding Requirements : Investors don’t want their funds to just sit in an account; they want to know that there is a plan in place to use these funds and effectively scale a startup from its current position. Have a funding plan in place – know how much funding is required, what actions need to be completed to successfully progress the business, and how each dollar will be spent to meet your launch or growth objectives.
• Be The Expert : If there is any gap in your business plan, it will be uncovered during the Q&A stage. Investors and judges are highly experienced in asking the right questions to get a full picture of your startup and to gauge whether you are well-informed about your business, market and the issue that you are attempting to solve. It’s not a good sign when an investor or judge knows more about your business than you do. Ensure that your business plan is all-encompassing with vital information, and that you can answer any necessary questions without needing to reference your business plan. During the Q&A session, you should be able to answer questions proficiently, confidently, and with enough expertise to prove that you know exactly what you are talking about.
• Listen, Learn and Apply : You can’t win every business plan or pitch contest, but you can definitely take the insights given during one competition and use it to propel your potential for success in future contests. It’s not everyday that you’re able to receive critical feedback from a group of investors, and when you can, you should take advantage of it as much as possible. Even if you don’t win anything in a business plan competition, the insights gained can be used to catapult your business to the next level.

Writing A Business Plan That Wins

Even if everything else is perfect – if you want to win, you must begin with a well-thought-out, perfectly articulated, and investor-ready business plan that tells your startup’s story in an effective manner. There are many factors to consider when writing a business plan from proper market analysis to financial projections – and any weak point in your plan will decrease your chances of winning. If you need more advice on writing a business plan, contact one of our experts today for a free business plan consultation!

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2023 rice business plan competition, congratulations.

With access to mentors, real-world experience and investment opportunities, the Rice Business Plan Competition helps student founders stay on target and realize their potential. Our 2023 competitors set themselves apart from other student-led ventures, got in-depth mentoring to prepare for the event, and pitched to over 350 judges and investors who were looking for their next early-stage deal. It was the best RBPC yet!

Re-Watch the Live Final Round From Saturday, May 13th 

Voted on by over 350 judges after two rounds of competition, 7 startups moved onto the final round. Re-watch their pitches, from Shell Auditorium at the Jones Graduate School of Business. 

Watch the recording above or on YouTube.

Re-watch the Elevator Pitch Competition from Thursday, May 11th 

We kicked off the 23rd annual Rice Business Plan Competition live from Shell Auditorium at the Jones Graduate School of Business. During the Elevator Pitch Competition, you'll hear 60-second pitches from all 42 startups. Six winners will be named from the Elevator Pitch Competition, winning cash prizes sponsored by Mercury, along with the rest of the over $1.5 million in prizes announced at the Awards Celebration at the end of three days of competition. 

Watch the full recording above or each individual pitch on our YouTube.

May 11-13, 2023 | Houston, Texas | The Edge of the Future 

The Rice Business Plan Competition exists so that student founders pushing to create new possibilities in technology, energy, healthcare and more can surround themselves with a powerful network; learn what it takes to secure investor funding; hone your pitch; and compete for big money to make the future you’re building possible. After a competitive application season, 42 startups have risen to the top and will be invited to compete on a global stage for more than $1M in prizes at the 2023 RBPC .

More about the competition: 

Competitor resources and schedule.

Review important competition details, like when each Round takes place, and more. 

Eligibiltiy

Learn more about what makes an eligible startup, the various sectors and other info about the competition structure. 

Explore Past Competitions

Interested in what makes a top competitors? You can rewatch the finals and elevator pitches for our past competitions, and check out the prizes! 

New this year! Amazon Small Business Podcast!

We’re excited to announce that the Amazon Small Business Empowerment Team will be producing a podcast that  follows select RBPC participants in their journey this year —learning about the inspiration, the challenges, and the thrill of growing and showcasing startups in the largest and richest student startup competition.

Previous Competitions

For 21 years the Rice Business Plan Competition has provided student startups with mentorship, guidance and capital to help support them on their entrepreneurial journey! In 2020, the competition went virtual for the first time. Check out a few of our previous competitions' content, including elevator pitch videos, final pitches, photos and LivePlans.

• 2022 Competition - Grow Your Startup. Build the Future.
• 2021 Competition - Big Ideas. Brilliant Startups.
• 2020 Competition - First Virtual Edition
• 2019 Competition - The Art of Entrepreneurship
• 2018 Competition - One Wild Ride

Follow along with #RBPC23

New York StartUP! 2024 Business Plan Competition

Are you an entrepreneur looking for the chance to launch your business? Join the New York StartUP! 2024 Business Plan Competition! Turn your ideas into reality with access to Library resources, mentorship, and cash prizes between $7,500 and $15,000. Learn more below about the requirements of the competition and how you can get involved.  

Participation requirements, step 1: view the online orientation  .

View the online orientation for an overview of the competition including how it works, the requirements, and the timeline.  Click here for details.  

Step 2: Submit Your Entry Form

The competition entry period is now closed. You are welcome to attend any remaining workshops and access the resources.

Step 3: Attend Virtual Q&A Sessions

You must attend one session of all four StartUP! competition workshops.   

Step 4: Schedule a Virtual Consultation with a Business Librarian   

Business Center librarians can provide resources for marketing and industry research, sample business plans, and business service providers. You must schedule at least one consultation.  

Step 5: Meet with a Business Advisor

You must meet at least once with an expert business advisor to review your plan.  See a list of potential business advisors and the form to document your meetings.  

Step 6: Upload a PDF of Your Business Plan

Upload your completed plan to the competition site by September 18,  2024 at 11:59 PM. 

For any questions about the StartUP! Competition, please contact [email protected].

Eligibility

To be eligible for the StartUP! Competition cash prize:

• You must live in Manhattan, The Bronx, or Staten Island.*
• Your business must be in Manhattan, The Bronx, or Staten Island.
• All businesses must have ideas or business models in the start-up phase and have earned less than $10,000.

Click here to review the full rules and eligibility requirements of the competition.

• First Prize:  $15,000  
• Second Prize: $10,000
• Third Prize :  $7,500   

* Do you live in Brooklyn or Queens? We welcome all to participate in the competition and learn how to put a business plan together. However, only residents of Manhattan, The Bronx, or Staten Island who start a business in one of these three boroughs are eligible to win a prize.

Similar competitions are available for residents of Brooklyn and Queens. The Brooklyn Public Library runs the Brooklyn PowerUP! Competition for Brooklyn residents. The Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) offers the StartUP! Competition for Queens residents.

Past Winners

Looking for inspiration for your business plan? Meet the past winners of the NY StartUP! Business Plan Competition !

The StartUp! Business Plan Competition is made possible by the generous support of the Wells Fargo Foundation. 

WomensNet News

15 Best Business Plan Competitions for Startup Entrepreneurs

March 13th 2019

by Marcia Layton Turner

Many members of the WomensNet community have asked us about more opportunities to get start-up money.  Well, here’s an idea that might help you.

Business plan creation is an exercise required of many MBA students, as a teaching tool, which is why many colleges and universities sponsor business plan competitions – to help students apply what they’ve learned in class. Winners of these contests often receive a combination of startup cash, mentoring, and other resources to help them get their venture off the ground.

A number of successful companies have come out of these competitions, which may be why more organizations and institutions of higher education have begun admitting non-students to these events. There are also business plan competitions open to anyone, student or not.

If you’re looking for ways to land early stage funding, or to network with fellow entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, it may be worth your time to enter a business plan competition. Winning means money and bragging rights, which can open doors to other opportunities.

Deadlines for entries vary throughout the year, so if you’ve missed this year’s window, next year’s window of opportunity will be here before you know it. Most have no entry fee, though you’ll want to read the fine print to see what you’re responsible for (such as travel expenses).

Here are 15 of the best business plan competitions worth your attention:

Arch Grants Global Startup Competition

For entrepreneurs currently residing in or willing to move to St. Louis, Missouri. Prizes include a $50,000 equity-free grant and free business support services, as well as becoming eligible to pursue up to $1 million in follow-on funding for winners. Idea-stage to pre-Series A companies are welcome to apply.

“Where software startups are launched” is how Codelaunch bills itself, which is a combination competition and startup networking festival held in Frisco, Texas. You need to have an idea for a software product or app to participate, with the prize being training and mentoring. There is also an annual seed accelerator for entrepreneurs with ideas for apps in search of funding.

Get in the Ring

While not as much as competition as a networking event on steroids, Get in the Ring brings together 150 startups to participate in three days of workshops to “unlock business opportunities” with 350 mentors, investors, and advisors. In Berlin.

Jack Daniels’ Pitch Distilled

According to Jack Daniels, “Pitch Distilled is a multi-city pitch competition…pairing aspiring entrepreneurs with a diverse cast of judges tasked with helping them kick-start the next big idea.” The grand prize is $5,000.

MassChallenge Accelerator

Not quite a business plan competition, MassChallenge involves selecting the “highest-impact and highest-potential startups” to participate in an accelerator program. There are locations in Boston, Rhode Island, Texas, and Switzerland. The accelerator session involves receiving mentoring, business services, and, ultimately, the chance for funding if your company is selected as a finalist.

Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition

The Milken-Penn Graduate School of Education (GSE) business plan competition may be the best-funded competition around, having awarded more than $1 million in prize money in the last ten years and sparked more than $135 million in follow-on funding. It is open to anyone in the world, but particularly “entrepreneurs with innovative ideas in education.” Its goal is to foster innovation in the field of education.

New York Start Up! 2019 Business Plan Competition

This competition is for residents of New York City, the Bronx, and Staten Island only. Businesses must not have generated more than $10,000 in revenue since startup. The top prize is $15,000, plus access to guidance and resources available through the New York Public Library.

Next Founders

Canadian entrepreneurs should apply for the annual Next Founders program, which is designed to help build the skills of the company founder(s) and provide training, mentoring, and access to capital to help scale promising business concepts and companies.

North of Boston Business Plan Competition

Entrepreneurs currently operating a business on Boston’s North Shore, or are willing to commit to locating the company in the area, are eligible to compete in this annual competition. “The purpose of the Competition is to identify and support businesses who want to grow and expand on the North Shore and thereby build the region’s economy.” The top prize is $10,000, with runner-up awards of $6,000 and $4,000.

Pistoia Alliance President’s Startup Challenge

This competition is for startups focused specifically on informatics and technology. Two winners receive six months of mentorship from industry experts and $20,000. Five finalists also receive $5,000 each.

This U.K.-based event isn’t so much about winning free cash, but about participating in a free boot camp. The top 300 startups are invited to participate, rubbing elbows with mentors and investors, as well as peers.

Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation New Venture Challenge

The Edward L. Kaplan New Venture Challenge, now based at the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center, is one of the leading business accelerators. It is “a year-long business launch program” that involves idea generation, critical feedback from advisors, and pitches to the investing community.

Startup Festival

Dubbed “the music festival for startups,” the 2019 Startup Festival, held in Montreal, provides numerous opportunities for entrepreneurs to pitch their startup concept to potential investors. Those pitches could result in funding or enhanced visibility, with the chance to pitch to the crowd or a group of grandmother judges. More than $750,000 in funding is on the line here.

tecBRIDGE Business Plan Competition

Students are separated into their own division in this competition for companies in the Northeast Pennsylvania region, with non-students in another. Early stage entrepreneurs from the area are welcome and can compete for prizes valued at more than $100,000. Concept must be technology-based and have had sales of no more than $250,000 in the prior 12 months to qualify for inclusion.

Y Combinator

Perhaps the best known business accelerator, Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator sponsors an annual competition to identify startups worthy of funding. Successful applicants are flown out to Mountain View, California for meetings and those funded are expected to spend 90 days in the area receiving support services.

Whether you’re looking for feedback on your new product idea, are looking for an advisory board, need space in which to locate your company, or really just need funding, these competitions will connect you with some of the most supportive startup organizations out there.

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• Apply right now by telling us your story. No lengthy, complicated forms.
• Our Judges pick three $10,000 Amber Grant winners each month.
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SM Prime to Expand Philippine Malls, Steady China Investment

• Mall of Asia upgrade seen completed by end-2024, Sy says
• SM is in talks with joint venture partners on reclaimed land

Top Philippine mall operator SM Prime Holdings Inc. is accelerating expansion plans at home and not investing aggressively in its China business where competition is tighter, according to a top official.

The integrated property developer established by late billionaire Henry Sy has 86 shopping malls in the Philippines and eight in China as of end-June. SM’s China business is growing organically, “which means we don’t send money to China anymore,” Hans Sy , SM Prime executive committee chairman, told reporters in Manila.

What are your chances of acceptance?

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15 Business Competitions for High School Students

What’s covered:, why should you enter an investing competition, how do business competitions affect my admissions chances.

Whether you dream of being a billionaire businessman like Mark Cuban, an investment icon like Warren Buffet, or a founder who’s focused on giving back like Hamdi Ulukaya, the creator and CEO of Chobani, entering a business competition for high schoolers is often a great first step toward a successful enterprise.

Business competitions are a great opportunity to show off your entrepreneurial spirit while gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges of starting and running a business. Business competitions allow you to highlight in-demand skills like idea generation, creative thinking, leadership, and communication. They also give you a chance to learn about building a business and to test your ideas in a relatively risk-free environment—after all, there is no capital or investment to lose. 

Many business competitions will also connect you with real-life professionals and college business school faculty. This creates both the chance for mentorship and the foundation of a business network that can serve you both inside and outside of the classroom—it can help with everything from gaining college admission to getting a business off the ground. 

Business competitions for high schoolers also often provide winners with monetary awards or scholarships which are beneficial for keeping the cost of college down—something every aspiring business person can appreciate. 

1. Conrad Challenge

Date(s): 2023 dates announced in August Type: Global 

This business challenge tasks students between ages 13 and 18 to apply science and technology to solve global issues, create a pitch, and build a business plan. Participants work in teams of two to five students to compete in four traditional categories and one special category that changes annually. The four traditional categories are:

• Aerospace and aviation 
• Cyber technology and security 
• Energy and environment 
• Health and Nutrition 

The 2021/2022 special category was “re-purposed farmlands and alternative uses of tobacco (and its by-products)”. 

2. Blue Ocean High School Entrepreneur Pitch Competition

Date(s): 2/18/22 Type: Global 

The Blue Ocean High School Entrepreneur Pitch Competition is one of the world’s most prestigious business competitions for high school students. Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five to generate an innovative product or service that the world needs and pitch it in a maximum five-minute-long video. 

3. Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition

Date(s): 4/1/22-9/15/22

Type: Global

Individuals between the ages of 13 and 29 are invited to participate in this business competition focused on using entrepreneurship to solve global issues. Participants are challenged to create or implement an idea, project, concept, solution, or initiative with a societal impact that addresses one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals . 

4. Wharton Global High School Investment Competition

Dates: 9/22-4/23

The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is a highly regarded business competition for high schoolers and is open to students in grades nine through 12. Participants are required to examine a case study of a potential client and create a portfolio that meets their long-term goals using $100,000 in hypothetical funds. Unlike investment competitions that select winners based on the performance of their portfolio, Wharton Global High School Investment Competition winners are chosen based on the strength and articulation of their investment strategy. 

5. Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (GYEC)

Date(s): 5/28/21

The GYEC is a 12-hour, online, worldwide business competition for high school students ages 14 through 19. Participants work in teams of up to eight students—each ideally possessing broad and complementary skill sets—to solve a significant global problem using an innovative and sustainable enterprise idea. Winning teams will receive a trophy along with an award certificate.

6. GENIUS Olympiad Business 

Date(s): 4/18/22-6/18/22

Participants in the GENIUS Olympiad compete in numerous categories (including business) focused on environmental issues. Students can compete in one of two business tracks: entrepreneurship or social responsibility. Both tracks require the participant to deliver a presentation as if they were making a real pitch for funding—dressing in formal business attire and including an accompanying PowerPoint presentation.

7. Diamond Challenge   

Date(s): 1/7/21-4/23/22

Type: National 

This well-known high school business competition is an initiative of Horn Entrepreneurship

at the University of Delaware. The challenge features two tracks for participants to compete, business innovation and social innovation. Both tracks require participants to work in teams of two to four students, to submit a concept narrative, and provide a pitch deck. Diamond Challenge offers substantial awards to its winners—first place takes home $11,000, second place $7,500, and third place $3,750. 

8. Pirates Pitch Competition for High School Students  

Date(s): 9/22-11/22

This Pirates Pitch Competition for High School Students is provided by Seton Hall University and is aimed at teaching high schoolers the basics of entrepreneurship and idea generation. To enter the competition, participants must submit a business idea in 350 words or less. Finalists will need to pitch their idea to judges in a live virtual event. Competition winners receive both a cash prize and a generous scholarship to Seton Hall.

9. Yale DHSRI High School Investment Competition

Dates: 2/22-4/22

The Yale DHSRI High School Investment Competition is hosted by the Dwight Hall Socially Responsible Investment Fund at Yale University, the nation’s oldest undergraduate-run socially responsible investment fund. Competing in teams of two or four students, high schoolers (students in grades nine through 12 are eligible to participate) build a portfolio using $100,000 in virtual funds and ultimately submit a final investment report that outlines their strategy, learning process, and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) themes. 

10. DECA Challenges

Dates: Varies 

For three-quarters of a century, DECA has been helping to prepare future entrepreneurs and leaders in marketing, finance, and hospitality. DECA has more than 3,000 high school chapters and 175,000 members. Throughout the year, DECA issues many challenges to its members, many of which are business focused and require participants to demonstrate specific skills and knowledge.  

11. tecBRIDGE High School Business Plan Competition 

Dates: 3/18/22-4/21/22 

STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math)-based business is at the heart of the tecBridge High School Business Plan Competition. Participants are expected to create sustainable and scalable concepts, answer a series of questions, and deliver a ten-minute-long presentation. Students are also expected to demonstrate creativity, critical thinking, and top-notch presentation skills.

12. The Big Idea Competition 

Date(s): 10/31/22-12/7/22

Young entrepreneurs are challenged to think of ways to make the world a better place to live by using business to implement change in this high school business competition. The competition is open to all high school students and requires them to submit a 1,075-word description of their business idea. Nearly $35,000 in prizes are awarded annually, including a $1,000 first prize. 

13. High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge (HSUEC)

Date(s): 2/21/21-3/26/22

Type: State

Utah high school students ages 14 to 18 can show off their entrepreneurial spirit and innovative ideas in this business competition. Students are encouraged to form teams of up to five students to compete in the HSUEC and are required to submit a business proposal that details:

• the opportunity or problem the business/product addresses
• the solution or improvement the business/product provides
• the market the business/product competes in, its target customer, and what sets it apart from the competition 

Participants must also submit a prototype in any medium of what their idea, product, or service will look like. 

14. West Virginia High School Business Plan Competition 

Date(s): 11/12/22-4/6/22 

The West Virginia High School Business Plan Competition is open to West Virginia students in grades nine through 12. The competition is aimed at helping high schoolers learn how to move a business idea from conception to action. Participants can compete either as an individual or in teams of up to four people. Submissions to the contest are in the form of a maximum 90-second YouTube video that addresses three key points:

• the business product or service
• the problem or opportunity and why is it a problem or opportunity 
• the customer and how the product/service solves their problem

15. Wisconsin High School Business Model Competition

Date(s): 4/20/22 – 5/21/22 

This awesome business competition—open to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors—is presented by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Alta Resources Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Students can compete alone or in teams of up to three and are asked to present an idea or solution to a problem that could lead to a business. Finalists will need to deliver a four-minute-long pitch to a panel of judges. Prizes include cash awards as well as scholarships to UW Oshkosh.  

Business competitions can have varying levels of influence on your odds of getting accepted into college. Everything from the prestige of the competition to where you are placed to the value a college places on extracurricular activities like business competitions can impact the weight they’re given by an admissions office.

The four tiers of extracurricular activities are useful for better understanding how colleges consider your activities outside of the classroom. Top-tier activities (those in tiers one and two) include participation in the most well-thought-of and distinguished competitions. Winning or placing highly in a top-tier competition can significantly improve your admissions odds. Less prominent and lesser-known competitions fall into tiers three and four. Lower-tiered activities don’t hold the same sway over admissions offices and have less effect on admissions chances. 

Interested in learning how your participation in a business competition influences your odds of getting into your dream school? CollegeVine can help! Our free chancing calculator considers factors such as grades, test scores, and extracurriculars to estimate your odds of getting into hundreds of colleges and universities while also providing insight into how to improve your profile.

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Benefits of Business Plan Competitions: What You Need to Know

by Dylan Taylor | Apr 20, 2020 | Business |

If you believe you have a strong idea for a business, you likely know you’ll need to draft a business plan before turning your idea into a reality. Along with helping you explain your strategy to investors, a business plan will help provide you with a roadmap to success. Consider submitting your draft to a business plan competition once you’ve finished developing it. The potential benefits of doing so include the following:

Obtaining Funding

Business plan competitions vary widely in their parameters. For example, while some involve directly submitting an established idea, others allow teams of entrepreneurs to create fresh ideas based on prompts. In addition, many business plan competitions provide awards to their winners in the form of seed funding and/or mentorship from successful entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Meeting Mentors

A mentor can play a very important role in your future success. This is particularly true if you’re a new entrepreneur. With an experienced mentor guiding you, you’re less likely to make common errors, and more likely to make the right choices during the early stages of growing your business. A mentor may also help you grow your professional network.

This is another reason to participate in business plan competitions. Very often, they match participating entrepreneurs with mentors. Even if you don’t win the competition, if your mentor is impressed with you, they might be willing to continue mentoring you after the competition is over.

A mentor is by no means the only helpful person you can meet through a business plan competition. Very often, investors also participate in these competitions. Networking with them would of course be a valuable experience. Additionally, you could meet other entrepreneurs through the competition who you may wish to collaborate with in the future.

Building Your Confidence

Don’t worry if you secretly (or not-so-secretly) doubt your own strengths as an entrepreneur. This is a common experience. While it is important to honestly assess both your skills and idea before spending time and money trying to grow a business with limited potential, you shouldn’t necessarily feel discouraged because you lack confidence.

Many successful entrepreneurs have been in your shoes before. Luckily, business plan competition participants often find that the experience provides them with a degree of validation. This helps them fully commit to their goals.

Practicing Important Skills

A business plan competition doesn’t typically consist of judges merely reviewing the written draft of your business plan. In many cases, you also need to develop and present pitches for your business idea.

This gives you the opportunity to develop an important skill. In the future, you’ll almost certainly need to pitch your ideas to investors. Practicing doing so in a low-stakes environment helps you identify what you must do to improve upon your pitch.

Getting New Perspectives

Odds are good your business plan isn’t perfect. Even if your idea is strong, there is always room for improvement

Many entrepreneurs struggle to identify key weaknesses with their ideas that need to be addressed. Fortunately, during a business plan competition, multiple judges will likely evaluate your pitch. Receiving feedback from multiple sources helps you broaden your perspective and more effectively refine your plan in the future.

Impressing Potential Investors

It’s uncommon for reputable business plan competitions to accept submissions from every interested applicant. Judges don’t have the time to review countless plans.

That’s why they carefully assess applications before selecting participants. Thus, if you were accepted into a business plan competition, you could leverage that fact later by mentioning it to investors. Even if you don’t win, they may be impressed that you participated in the first place. This will at least help you get your foot in the door.

Receiving Media Coverage

Depending on the competition you participate in, your idea may receive attention from business media outlets. This of course provides you with free exposure. If the right person hears about your idea, they might approach you with an offer to invest in it.

These are only a few reasons budding entrepreneurs should consider participating in business plan competitions. Just make sure you don’t assume you’ll be accepted to participate in the first competition you apply to. You may need to try several times before you are selected to compete. When you do, however, the benefits can be substantial.

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What We Know About Kamala Harris’s $5 Trillion Tax Plan So Far

The vice president supports the tax increases proposed by the Biden White House, according to her campaign.

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By Andrew Duehren

Reporting from Washington

In a campaign otherwise light on policy specifics, Vice President Kamala Harris this week quietly rolled out her most detailed, far-ranging proposal yet: nearly $5 trillion in tax increases over a decade.

That’s how much more revenue the federal government would raise if it adopted a number of tax increases that President Biden proposed in the spring . Ms. Harris’s campaign said this week that she supported those tax hikes, which were thoroughly laid out in the most recent federal budget plan prepared by the Biden administration.

No one making less than $400,000 a year would see their taxes go up under the plan. Instead, Ms. Harris is seeking to significantly raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans and large corporations. Congress has previously rejected many of these tax ideas, even when Democrats controlled both chambers.

While tax policy is right now a subplot in a turbulent presidential campaign, it will be a primary policy issue in Washington next year. The next president will have to work with Congress to address the tax cuts Donald J. Trump signed into law in 2017. Many of those tax cuts expire after 2025, meaning millions of Americans will see their taxes go up if lawmakers don’t reach a deal next year.

Here’s an overview of what we now know — and still don’t know — about the Democratic nominee’s views on taxes.

Higher taxes on corporations

The most recent White House budget includes several proposals that would raise taxes on large corporations . Chief among them is raising the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent, a step that the Treasury Department estimated could bring in $1.3 trillion in revenue over the next 10 years.

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2024 UDC Capital Cup Entrepreneurship Competition Winners

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Congratulations

Over the qualifier course of the 2024 udc capital cup entrepreneurship competition, four academic business professors assessed and evaluated more than fifty teams in the qualifying competition. top 5 teams were selected to attend the final national competition. three industry judges from dc chamber of commerce assessed and evaluated the top 5 teams’ presentations on august 08, 2024., 2024 udc capital cup entrepreneurship competition rankings.

The Dean of UDC School of Business and Public Administration, Dr. Sepehri, and UDC Capital Cup Competition Chair, Dr. Hua, presented the trophies and medals to the winners. Dr. Chinta (Associate Dean) was the onsite final competition Co-Chair. Dr. Numkung was the onsite final competition host.

The dean of udc school of business and public administration, dr. sepehri, presented the certificates to the judges from dc chamber of commerce: jacquay henderson, ronnette meyers and selvon malcolm waldron., 2024 championship team.

Debate Minds – Eric Zhou (Bullis School, MD), Evan Kim (Bullis School, MD), Noah Margolis (Bullis School, MD) w/ Dean Sepehri & Competition Chair Dr. Hua

Second place team.

SmartGlam – Sophia Ge (Montgomery Blair High School, MD), Doris Wang (Montgomery Blair High School, MD) w/ Dean Sepehri & Competition Chair Dr. Hua

Third place team.

Pickle Tracker – Faris Faizal (Triangle Math and Science Academy, NC), Dinesh Satyavolu (Triangle Math and Science Academy, NC), Maulik Verma (Apex High School, NC)

W/ dean sepehri & competition chair dr. hua, fourth place team.

ReGenium – Matthew Choi (Fort Lee High School, NJ), Evan Ng (Fort Lee High School, NJ) w/ Dean Sepehri & Competition Chair Dr. Hua

Fifth place team.

Mr. Ai – Soham Sarkar (Trumbull High School, CT) w/ Dean Sepehri & Competition Chair Dr. Hua

Competition judges.

Dean Sepehri, Competition Chair (Dr. Hua), Competition Onsite Host (Dr. Namkung), and Final Competition Judges (Jacquay Henderson, Ronnette Meyers and Selvon Malcolm Waldron)

Top 10 teams in the qualifiers.

2023 UDC Capital Cup Entrepreneurship Competition Winners

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Three Steps to Winning Business Plan Competitions

Ting shih, founder of clickmedix, discusses the best way to structure your business plan pitch so you can come out on top..

I founded my healthcare technology company, ClickMedix, while I was a graduate student at MIT's Development Ventures class. Our mission is to improve the health of over one billion people. We currently have deployments in 18 countries, and serve more than a quarter million patients - all without investor money. I have been funding my startup by winning business plan competitions and through paying customers . Here are three steps to winning business plan competitions:

Step 1. Show Traction

What distinguishes your business, from winning and losing, is the fact that you have actual customers paying for your innovative solution. If you are not currently collecting payment, then provide solid, irrefutable evidence that many people will pay for your solution.

Why? Given only a 3-5 minute pitch, judges or investors need to know that your solution will make money. The best way to prove that your business will be hugely profitable is to show that it already makes money or that it will generate revenues with certainty.

A winning pitch may start as: Most of us are familiar with this problem, and our solution has generated $x amount of revenues or y users growing at z% monthly. I generally have one image, which I use to briefly illustrate the problem and communicate the main message. Then, I indicate that we have global deployments, paying customers, and customers who refer new customers to us, resulting in strong revenues and high growth year after year.

Step 2. Show Market Potential

When I first started answering the question, "what's the market size of your business", I went through various market research reports to show that the market is really large. Although these figures are important, what matters most to winning the contest is that your solution can address the need in the market, and that the market is growing.

Why? Marketing figures are generally large, e.g. hundreds of millions or billions. But judges and investors need to know how a new company can actually tackle that market- either by winning over customers of existing larger companies, or through a new solution that addresses customers' unmet needs.

Most pitches go like this: "The market size for our solution is $50Billion and growing at 30% CAGR. We are on our way to tackle that market."

By contrast, a winning pitch will include phrases such as: "At $50Billion with a 30% CAGR, this market is large and growing, our solution is better than existing solutions, we have already won business over current competitors, and these customer segments are growing."

Step 3. Show You're the One that Can Best Solve the Problem

Once you've demonstrated that you are successful and can be profitable, and that the profit has tremendous growth potential, one of the most important questions to address is whether you have the best solution for your customers.

Why? While your solution may be innovative, it's important to articulate how it is different than existing solutions. Given a fixed amount of money a customer would spend to solve their problem, judges and investors need to know that these customers would pay for your solution instead of the others.

A winning pitch includes a competitive landscape or other comparable information, PLUS the "secret sauce" for why your solution would win customers more frequently and faster than any other solution. The secret sauce can be special skills of team members, it can be a partnership agreement with an important channel partner or distributor, or ways you can build your solution faster and cheaper than your competitors. For a B2B solution such as ClickMedix, one way to show how we solve the problem better, faster, and cheaper is through implementation stories or case studies where we describe the problem we solved for our customers, how we solved it faster and cheaper, and yielded better results.

Business plan competitions are more or less a zero-sum game. Judges will have to pick a fixed number of winners, usually based on a scoring scheme within the evaluation criteria. Your goal is to be their best pick of the competitors. When going through the three steps to winning, strategize your presentation so that you can score the highest within the evaluation criteria- higher than the competition.

About the Author

Ting Shih founded ClickMedix , an award-winning healthcare technology enterprise born out of MIT Media Lab to enable health organizations to serve more patients through its eHealth platform. Her areas of expertise include mHealth solution design, competitive strategy, lean/Six Sigma process improvement and operations management. She spent five years implementing mobile health programs across 18 countries in North America, South America, Africa, and Asia to develop financially sustainable health programs through ClickMedix. The programs equipped health workers, nurses, pharmacists, and physicians with smartphones to capture patient symptoms information, images, and other related health data to be transmitted to remote specialists who can provide diagnosis and treatment advice. Ting is Toyota Mother of Invention 2015 and Cartier Women's Initiative Laureate 2012 for North America. She holds an MBA and MS in Systems Engineering from MIT. In addition, she holds a BS in Computer Science and MS in Software Design and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.​

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Brighthouse Life Insurance Review

• Pros and Cons
• Plans Available

How Much Does Brighthouse Life Insurance Cost?

• How to Purchase and Manage Your Life Insurance Policy 
• Customer Reviews and Ratings
• Brighthouse Life Insurance vs. Its Competitors
• Why You Should Trust Us

Brighthouse Life Insurance Review: Is It the Right Policy for You?

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate life insurance products to write unbiased product reviews.

Brighthouse Financial offers term and indexed universal life insurance, attracting more than 2 million customers. 

Business Insider compared Brighthouse Financial to the best life insurance companies and found it to be a standout offering with affordable premiums and an expedited application process. 

Brighthouse Financial Life Insurance is a reputable provider of affordable life insurance plans. Premiums are relatively low compared to its competitors, and most applicants can receive coverage without undergoing a medical exam. Brighthouse Financial also gets an A- grade from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), so you can expect excellent customer service.

One drawback with Brighthouse Life Insurance is that there are relatively few plans to choose from. The company offers two permanent life insurance plans and two term life insurance plans.

Despite the lack of variety, Brighthouse Life Insurance stands out with a unique hybrid plan that contains both a death benefit and long-term care coverage. This combination, contained within the Brighthouse SmartCare plan, is perfect for anyone who wants to protect both themselves and loved ones in the event of a serious illness. 

Brighthouse Life Insurance Pros and Cons

Brighthouse life insurance pros .

• Most applicants won't need to undergo a medical exam . That means you should be able to start coverage within a few days of applying.
• The premiums are lower than average. For example, a healthy 25-year-old woman can expect to pay just $10.68 a month for a 20-year, $250,000 term life insurance policy.
• One-year term life policies offer whole life conversion option. While Brighthouse Financial doesn't offer whole life insurance that you can directly purchase, you can convert the company's one-year term life insurance to a whole life policy. 

Brighthouse Life Insurance Cons

• You can't apply for a plan online. For permanent plans, you have to go through a licensed professional. For term plans, you need to request a quote through Policygenius and then speak with a representative on the phone.
• The selection of plans is limited. Brighthouse Life Insurance offers just four plans in total, including two permanent life insurance plans and two term life insurance plans. 
• There's no online quoting tool. To learn how much you'll have to pay, you need to contact a financial professional or create an account with Policygenius. 

Brighthouse Life Insurance Plans Available

Brighthouse Life Insurance offers both permanent life insurance and term life insurance. Permanent life insurance plans are meant to last your entire life, and they often include a cash value that grows over time. Term life insurance lasts only for a predetermined amount of time (which is called the "term").

There are two permanent life insurance plans available from Brighthouse Life Insurance:

• Brighthouse SmartCare . This is a hybrid permanent life insurance merging an indexed universal life insurance policy with long-term care benefits provided through a collection of riders.
• Brighthouse SmartGuard Plus . Available to people 35-65 years old, this is an indexed universal life insurance product, which means your policy's cash value can earn interest at the rate of an associated stock market index. 

Brighthouse also offers two term life insurance plans:

• Brighthouse SimplySelect . You can select a term of 10, 20, or 30 years with coverage amounts ranging from $100,000 to $3 million. You can only access these policies through Policygenius.
• Brighthouse One Year Term . This is just what it sounds like – a short-term plan for filling a coverage gap. You can then choose to convert your policy into a whole life insurance plan.

Additional Coverage Options offered by Brighthouse Life Insurance (Riders)

A standard life insurance plan (from Brighthouse Life Insurance or any other provider) doesn't necessarily provide all the coverage you need. That's why it's often best to fill any gaps with coverage add-ons, commonly called riders.

Brighthouse Life Insurance offers the following riders: 

• Long-term Care (LTC) Acceleration of Death Benefit:  This allows you to access some of your death benefit early to pay for long-term medical care.
• Extension of Benefits:  This allows you to continue to access your benefits after the LTC benefits have been exhausted.
• Return of Premium (ROP) Surrender Benefit: This allows you to take back some of the money you've paid in premiums if you surrender your policy. 
• Return of Premium (ROP) Death Benefit:  This ensures that all the money you've paid in premiums goes on to become part of the death benefit (except for money included in policy loans or LTC benefits).
• Guaranteed Distribution: When you apply, you can decide whether you want to receive distributions from the policy's cash value during your whole life or only for a certain time (which could increase the distribution amounts). 
• Acceleration of Death Benefit:  This allows you to access some or all of your death benefit if you become terminally ill. 
• Convertible and Renewable Options Rider:  You can extend a one-year plan and make it a longer-term policy. 

Not every plan includes all of these riders. Read the plan details carefully to see which specific riders are included.

Brighthouse Life Insurance offers fantastic value. It gives you comprehensive coverage, and it's generally cheaper than an average life insurance plan.

Here are some quotes we gathered for a 20-year, $250,000 term life insurance policy for healthy non-smokers living in New York:

How to Purchase and Manage a Brighthouse Life Insurance Policy 

Purchasing a Brighthouse life insurance policy is simple — and in most cases, you won't even need to take a medical exam.

The process for getting a policy differs slightly depending on the plan you choose.

For the universal life insurance plans, you'll have to go through a licensed financial professional . That means your first step is to talk to an insurance salesperson in your area who offers Brighthouse Life Insurance.

For term life insurance plans, you can go through the online portal Policygenius. Here's how it works:

• Go to policygenius.com.
• Select "Life" from the product menu.
• Answer several questions about your health and lifestyle.
• Review quotes from a variety of life insurance companies, including Brighthouse Life Insurance.

Someone from Policygenius should reach out over the phone. You can verify your information with them, and your coverage should begin that same day.

How to file a claim with Brighthouse Life Insurance 

You can start the claims process by contacting Brighthouse Life Insurance over the phone. 

Here are the phone numbers to call:

• If your policy ends with BI, BLT, BLW, USU, USV, or UT – call (800) 882-1292
• If your policy ends with US or FM – call (833) 208-3017
• If you have a former New England Financial policy – call (800) 388-4000 

Brighthouse Life Insurance is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. ET.

Before calling, make sure you know the product type and policy number. The Brighthouse Life Insurance representative on the phone will use the number to find your policy, and then they'll walk you through the process of filing a claim.

Brighthouse Life Insurance Customer Reviews and Ratings

Brighthouse Life Insurance's customer support gets mixed reviews online. Brighthouse Financial, the company behind Brighthouse Life Insurance, earns an A- grade from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). However, the company only averages 2.4 stars on the review site Trustpilot. Additionally, Brighthouse Financial ranked last out of 22 insurance companies in a 2023 J.D. Power survey for customer satisfaction. 

Some reviews describe frustrating customer service experiences, including one case of being on hold for over three hours. Others praise the customer service representatives as being patient, congenial, and honest.

Brighthouse Life Insurance has an A (Excellent) rating in Financial Stability from AM Best.

Brighthouse Life Insurance vs. Other Providers

With low premiums, excellent online ratings, and a convenient application process, Brighthouse Life Insurance outshines many of its competitors.

Brighthouse Life Insurance vs. Pacific Life Insurance 

Like Brighthouse Life Insurance, Pacific Life offers a wide selection of life insurance plans, including term life insurance and universal life insurance. Unfortunately, Pacific Life Insurance has a questionable reputation, receiving a C- grade from the BBB. That's why Brighthouse Life Insurance is a better option for most consumers. 

Read our Pacific life insurance review .

Brighthouse Life Insurance vs. State Farm Life Insurance

State Farm Life Insurance offers a variety of plans, including term life insurance and permanent life insurance, but many applicants will have to take a medical exam. That makes Brighthouse Life Insurance a better option for anyone who wants a quick and easy application process.

Read our State Farm life insurance review .

Brighthouse Life Insurance FAQ

No, most Brighthouse Life Insurance policies do not require a medical exam. You may be required to take a medical exam if you do not have evidence of prior medical care.

Cash value grows according to the index linked to your policy. Brighthouse Life Insurance's indexed universal life insurance policies can track indices like the S&P 500 (large cap), Russell 2000 Index (small cap), or MSCI EAFE Index (international).

The main benefits of Brighthouse Life Insurance is the quick application process and lower premiums. 

Brighthouse Life Insurance is considered a trustworthy company. It receives an A- grade from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and an A (excellent) rating from AM Best. It also has a long history in the life insurance industry, tracing its roots back to Travelers Insurance Company, which was founded in 1863.

Why You Should Trust Us: What Went into Our Brighthouse Life Insurance Review

All companies are rated based on our expert's insurance rating methodology to ensure objectivity and equal opportunity for insurers. The factors we considered when rating our best life insurance products include the following: 

• Customer satisfaction
• Financial stability
• State coverage
• Ethics 
• Policy types
• Average premiums
• Waiting periods
• Standard exclusions
• Agent training

Read more on Business Insider's  life insurance rating methodology .

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