2013 New York Business Plan Competition
Regional Contest - Finger Lakes

The New York Business Plan Competition, The Premier Collegiate Contest, is a venture creation and innovation competition that was established in 2009 to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship throughout New York’s colleges and universities. This year, the 10 major regions of New York (Capital Region, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes, Western New York, Southern Tier, Mid-Hudson, New York City, and Long Island) will hold regional competitions prior to the finals. The top teams from each of the regional zones will advance to the final statewide competition where the teams will go head-to-head for more than $225,000 in cash and in-kind prizes at the University at Albany on April 26, 2013.


Regional Contest Overview

Currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students from accredited New York colleges and universities in the Finger Lakes Region are encouraged to submit the written application around a student-born innovation that is designed for a currently unmet need. The Regional Contest and Statewide Final Competition do not require the submission of a full business plan. A TWO-PAGE WRITTEN APPLICATION IS ALL THAT IS REQUIRED TO ENTER.

Regional Contest semi-finalists will be invited to give a 6-minute presentation followed by 4 minutes of Q&A from a panel of regional judges on April 3, 2013 at the Rochester Institute of Technology's Student Innovation Hall and Golisano Auditorium. The top two teams from each category (for a total of 12 teams from the Finger Lakes region) will be selected to participate in the Statewide Competition where they will compete against finalists from the other nine regions in New York.

Statewide Competition finalists will be required to give a 10-minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of Q&A from a panel of statewide judges on April 26, 2013 at the University at Albany.

Download the Statewide Competition Sample Presentation Format.

Teams should consist of one to a maximum of six members, excluding the advisor. Students from different academic areas are encouraged to work together to create the strongest team possible. One faculty member is required to be listed as an advisor for the team; offering guidance, support, and technical expertise.

Student entrepreneurs that meet the eligibility requirements below are invited to submit an application (not to exceed two written pages) for their idea or venture under one of the following six categories:

  • Biotechnology / Healthcare
  • Energy / Sustainability
  • Information Technology / Software
  • Nanotechnology / Advanced Technology
  • Products / Services
  • Social Entrepreneurship / Non-Profit

Download the Regional Contest Application. All Finger Lakes applications must be submitted via email to Maureen Konopka by 5:00 p.m. on March 8, 2013.

Learn more by viewing Frequently Asked Questions about the Statewide Competition.


Eligibility and Rules

In order to be eligible to apply for and participate in both the Regional Contest and Statewide Final Competition, all teams must meet the following criteria:

  • Consist entirely of currently enrolled graduate and/or undergraduate students from accredited New York colleges and universities
  • Consist of one (1) to a maximum of six (6) members, excluding the advisor
  • A faculty or staff member is required to be listed as an advisor for the team; offering guidance, support, and technical expertise
  • Students may not participate on more than one (1) team each year of the competition
  • Each entry must be submitted to only one (1) of the above six (6) categories, i.e. the same entry cannot be submitted to multiple categories (if the entry overlaps multiple categories, the team must choose one category to compete in)
  • Cumulative public and private capital raised may not exceed $100,000
  • Student ownership of venture must be 100%

For complete rules, download the Statewide Competition Rule Book.


Tips

The categories with the most entries in last year's Statewide Competition were as follows (from the most to the least):

  • 1. Products / Services
  • 2. Information Technology / Software
  • 3. Biotechnology / Healthcare (Tied with Energy / Sustainability)
  • 3. Energy / Sustainability (Tied with Biotechnology / Healthcare)
  • 4. Social Entrepreneurship / Non-Profit
  • 5. Nanotechnology / Advanced Technology

The judges will especially look for/at:

  • Compelling Idea / Venture
  • Founders and Team
  • Pitch Quality

Watch YouTube videos of the 2011 Grand Prize Presentations: