Center for Entrepreneurship

2012 Ohio State University Business Plan Competition - Registration OPEN!

February 8 Workshop Canceled

We regret that the workshop scheduled for Wednesday, February 8, 2012 has been cancelled.  We will however hold the workshop on Thursday, March 15, 2012 in Mason Hall, 2nd Floor Rotunda room.  This will provide the opportunity to bring a draft of your business plan and have specific questions ready.  Please watch this space for more details and a link to RSVP for this event. 

Award Partner - Open Competition

Deloitte & Touche U.S.A. LLP  is the major partner of the Ohio State Business Plan Competition, which provides a forum for faculty, students and community entrepreneurs to win approximately $130,000 in cash and services for use as start-up funds to transform an idea into a thriving business.

Award Partner - Undergraduate Competition

Venture Highway creates and distributes entrepreneurial curriculum offerings for college and university instructors and aspiring entrepreneurs.  Designed by successful entrepreneurs and highly respected academic thought leaders, Venture Highway elevates the entrepreneurial education experience - both in and out of the classroom.  By providing a unique combination of education technology, classroom tested curricula, and practical expertise, Venture Highway is helping today's entrepreneurs become tomorrow's business success stories

The Spirit of the Competition

The Ohio State Business Plan Competition purports to stimulate and nourish the entrepreneurial spirit in any full-time or part-time Ohio State University student. In particular, this competition seeks to:

• encourage entrepreneurially-oriented graduate and undergraduate students to develop and grow new ventures based on their own ideas and technologies.
• provide the students with educational workshops to develop their ideas and pitch their ventures to investors. These programs provide constructive feedback for increasing the probability of successfully launching their ventures.

2007 Winning Team
Traycer Diagnostic Systems

• provide the best business plans with substantial resources to assist the winning student teams with launching their ventures.

To provide a relatively level “playing field” for student teams, the directors of the Ohio State Business Plan Competition and the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Fisher College of Business have developed the following set of rules that all participating teams are expected to satisfy. At the same time, the directors recognize that no set of rules, no matter how thorough or carefully developed, can ever cover all circumstances. Accordingly, all teams are expected to abide by the specific rules enumerated below as well as the overall spirit of the competition. The directors reserve the right to disqualify any team that violates the rules, regulations, or the spirit of the competition.

Round 1: Conceptual Business Case Round

Upon registering for the competition, teams begin the competition by submitting Conceptual Business Cases that clearly explain the business ideas and market opportunities for their given products or services. Judges evaluate the cases and select the top business ideas based on specific investment criteria to advance to the second round.

Round 2: Business Plan Round

During this round, the teams test viability, perform market analysis, prepare financial projections, identify customers, and write complete business plans for their ideas. After teams submit their business plans, judges review the plans and select the finalist based on the overall quality of the opportunity, management team strength, market dynamic, and other investment criteria.

Round 3: The Final Event & Awards Banquet

The finalists present their business plans to a panel of expert judges (entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, private investors, faculty, and leading consultants) during the final event. Judges select the first, second, and third-place winner. The Calfee, Halter & Griswold Awards Reception follows on the evening of the graduate competition and the Center for Entrepreneurship announces the winners at that time. Both undergraduate and graduate teams will be available during the reception to allow the opportunity for those interested to connect with them. View a slideshow from the 2010 Calfee, Halter & Griswold Awards Banquet.