The Blackstone LaunchPad and Syracuse University Libraries will host CompeteCNY, the regional qualifying event for the 2016 New York State Business Plan Competition. The event will be held on April 14 from 4–6 p.m. at Bird Library. Regional winners will advance to the April 29 statewide competition in Albany, which features a $100,000 grand prize.
CompeteCNY is open to all undergraduate or graduate students currently enrolled in a Central New York college or university. In addition to Syracuse University, these include SUNY ESF, SUNY Upstate, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Morrisville, Onondaga Community College, Cayuga Community College, Le Moyne College, Colgate University, Hamilton College, Wells College and Cazenovia College.
While all students can compete for the $100,000 statewide grand prize, only Syracuse University students can vie for an additional $60,000 provided by the University for SU student teams that win the April 14 competition. Those winners will be announced at the official Blackstone LaunchPad grand opening set for April 19 at Bird Library.
Students are invited to submit in the following categories:
Information and Technology/Software
Any idea, technology, product and/or service that relates to apps, informational technology, software and/or internet applications in for-profit enterprises. If the value that a company provides lies in the creation of or is delivered through an app, it belongs in this category.
Biotechnology/Healthcare
Any idea, technology, product and/or service that relates to healthcare, biomedical, pharmaceutical and/or life science applications.
Energy/Sustainability
Any idea, technology, product and/or service that relates to energy, clean energy, renewable energy, energy efficiency, environmental and/or sustainability applications.
Nanotechnology/Advanced Technology
Any idea, technology, product and/or service that relates to materials science, advanced hardware, semiconductors, optics and/or electronics applications.
Social Entrepreneurship/Nonprofit
Any idea, product, and/or service that addresses a social need, for which profit is not the primary motivation, or provides a product/service for nonprofits. Apps and websites with nonprofit missions should compete in this category.
Products/Services
Any idea, product, and/or service that does not fit any of the other categories above.
Check-in is 4 p.m. at the Blackstone LaunchPad and pitches will be held in various locations in Bird Library. The wrap-up session will be in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons at 6 p.m., when two winning teams in each of the six categories will be announced.
Regional winners will go on to compete for the $100,000 state grand prize on April 29 in Albany against other regional semi-final winners from New York’s nine other Regional Economic Development Council districts—Capital Region, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes, Western New York, Southern Tier, Mid-Hudson, New York City and Long Island.
Details, competition rules and the CNY application are available through the CompeteCNY website, with more information about the statewide competition available on the NYBPC website. A template is provided for presentations. Applications for CompeteCNY close April 5 and presentation materials must be submitted by April 12.
For more information, contact: LaunchPad@syr.edu.
