Mark Ain Business Model Competition

Eligibility

• Applications must be submitted online.
  Submission Deadline is November 1st at 11:59pm. 
• All competition participants must currently be enrolled at the University of Rochester. Only active UR students in good standing are eligible to present the business model in the semi-final and final rounds and receive prize money. However, companies may include non-UR students on their executive team.
• Students from both undergraduate and graduate programs are encouraged to participate.
• Student startups submitting should not have generated any revenue.
• Students who wish to enter the competition must be enrolled in the Ain Foundry Program.

Rules

• Teams may consist of no more than five individuals and it is recommended to have at least two members on each team.

• Submission Deadline for the for the current academic year are listed below:

  • • Submission Deadline: Submission Deadline is November 1st at 11:59pm. 
      An Executive Summary
      Business Model Canvas
      Video pitch (8 Minutes in Length) with Slide Deck
      Customer Discovery Evidence – Short Summary of Interviews & Surveys

  • Finalists are selected prior to the competition. Finalist will be notified November 5th. 

  • Finalist will pitch in person on November 8th at 2pm at Hoyt Auditorium. 

• The business model must be in the idea, development, or start-up stage.
• Teams that have previously won prizes in an Ain Center competition may not enter the same competition with the same venture a second time.

Awards

Cash prizes have been made possible by the generous donation of Simon alumnus Mark S. Ain ’67S (MBA), founder of Kronos Incorporated.

• 1st Place: $10,000
• 2nd Place: $2,500
• 3rd Place: $1,000

Only students listed in the Team Member section of the Competition Application will be eligible for any prize money awarded. Prize money will be split evenly among all team members listed in the application. No exceptions.

If a competition entry is based on work completed for a class AND if any student(s) who contributed to said work but are not taking part in the competition, they must provide written consent to the Ain Center stating that they consent to use of their work and forfeit any claims to any prize money won.

Cash prizes are not tax-exempt. International students may have additional holds; please contact ISO with any questions.

Guidelines for Submissions

• Submission Deadline for the for the current academic year are listed below:

  • • Submission Deadline: Submission Deadline is November 1st at 11:59pm. 
      An Executive Summary
      Business Model Canvas
      Video pitch (8 Minutes in Length) with Slide Deck
      Customer Discovery Evidence – Short Summary of Interviews & Surveys

  • Finalists are selected prior to the competition. Finalist will be notified November 5th. 

  • Finalist will pitch in person on November 8th at 2pm at Hoyt Auditorium. 

Judging

• All participating teams must submit an executive summary, a business model canvas, customer discovery evidence – short summary of interviews & surveys, and a video pitch no longer than 8 minutes as part of their application. Based on these submissions, up to five (5) finalist teams will be selected.

  Finalist teams will have the opportunity to practice their presentations with coaches prior to the competition. On November 8th at 2:00 PM in Hoyt Auditorium, the five (5) finalist teams will present their business models to a judging panel for prize consideration. Winners will be announced at the conclusion of the competition.