Applications for Spring 2020 Campus Business Plan Competitions Now Open

Syracuse University teams have won nearly $3.4 million in business plan competitions in the past three years, dominating regional, state and global competitions. The Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at SU Libraries coordinates several of the campus qualifying competitions that lead up to these prestigious events. Following is a list of several spring 2020 competitions and application information:

Panasci Business Plan Competition

Applications now open through midnight Jan. 23, 2020. Sponsored by the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, the competition will be held April 10-11, 2020, and is open to Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students. Applicants must write and submit a business plan for the chance to advance and compete for $42,000 in cash prizes, made possible by longtime Whitman supporter, the late Henry A. Panasci. See the Whitman website for more details, application, and qualifications.

ACC InVenture Prize

Applications now open through midnight Feb. 7, 2020. Sponsored by the LaunchPad and SU Libraries, the competition will be held Feb. 21, 2020. Open to undergraduate students or recent graduates within one year of graduation from Syracuse University. Apply here through the common app. In addition, the ACC application requires a one-page executive summary.  Link to the template here. This year there will be $5,000 in Syracuse University campus prizes, sponsored by M&T Bank, the title sponsor. The event will be headlined by Allen J. Naples, regional president of M&T Bank. Winners will move on to compete with other top inventors in the ACC network at a live televised event in April 2020 at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

Compete CNY

Applications will be accepted soon and are due by March 13, 2020. Open to undergraduate and graduate students of all colleges and universities in the Central New York Region, Compete CNY is sponsored by the LaunchPad/Libraries on March 27, 2020, as the regional qualifier for the New York State Business Plan Competition. Categories to be announced by event organizers. Last year’s categories were Agtech and Food; Energy and Environment; Military and First Responders; Medtech and Well-being; Technology and Entertainment; and Consumer Products and Services. Finalists from Compete CNY will go on to compete in statewide competition April 30-May 1, 2020, in Albany, New York. Check for updates at the New York State Business Plan Competition website.

Raymond von Dran iPrize (RvD iPrize)

Applications now open through midnight March 13, 2020. Sponsored by the School of Information Studies with the LaunchPad/Libraries, this competition will be held March 27, 2020. Open to all graduate and undergraduate students working on venture ideas for products, services, technologies and social impact ventures. Note that the application requires a one-page executive summary of a venture idea. The one-page template can be found here. A pitch workshop will be held on March 6, 2020, in the LaunchPad. Prize package is typically around $40,000.

Hunter Brooks Watson (HBW) Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award

Applications now open through midnight March 13, 2020. Sponsored by the School of Information Studies with the LaunchPad/Libraries, this competition will be held on March 27, 2020. Open to undergraduate and graduate students at Syracuse University competing in the RvD iPrize.  A one page executive summary of a venture idea is required. The one-page template can be found here. Up to $10,000 available in prizes for entrepreneurs who best exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit of Hunter Brooks Watson.

Business plan competitions provide critical early stage seed funding to student ventures to work on customer discovery, prototypes, business incorporation and patents, as well as other product and business development needs on the road from concept to commercialization. Events are also an opportunity to network with competition judges, including high-level entrepreneurs and alumni.  The LaunchPad teams, mentors and professional service providers are available to help student teams develop well thought-out business and product roadmaps and coach teams on the art of successful pitching.

To learn more about the competitions, get details on the schedule, or schedule coaching sessions with LaunchPad Rubin Family Innovation Mentors, email launchpad@syr.edu.