2009 - 2010
UD Business Plan Competition
Applicant Eligibility

Applicant/Team Eligibility

This is a team-based competition (teams can range from 1-8 individuals). Team members may come from anywhere in the greater Miami Valley, subject to the restrictions and eligibility requirements below (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!). Specifically:

·                    Anyone from the greater Miami Valley may enter the Elevator Pitch portion of the competition. Any current UD student may enter, as well as any Alum may enter.   If your entry is selected to be one of the five finalist teams, your team MUST include at least one currently enrolled UD student (in any undergraduate or graduate degree program), OR at least one alum who has earned a UD degree (graduate or undergraduate)

·                    Teams MUST select ONE team member who to present the elevator pitch

·                    Teams CANNOT  include students who are currently serving a University disciplinary suspension

·                    An individual may be a member of a maximum of TWO competition entries (judged separately on each), but may only be on ONE finalist team

·                    Team rosters may be modified (members added or dropped) up to 5pm on December 11^th, 2009—after that, no roster changes are permitted. Anyone initially submitted as a team member must agree in writing to be dropped.    Everyone on the roster as of December 11th, 2009 time is guaranteed  a minimum of 10% of the prize package.  Unless written documentation is provided stating otherwise (signed by all team members),  prize money is split evenly among all team members. 

·                   ALL finalist team members must appear at the finalist competition presentations though not all are required to speak (finalist team members who fail to attend finalist presentations will forfeit all prize money winnings over 10%, which will NOT be shared among the remaining members). 

·                    To receive individual prize monies, all elevator pitch and finalist team members MUST provide payment information (i.e., social security numbers, proof of citizenship, etc.) to Pam Stukenborg, MGT/MKT Department Office Manager, by December 11^th, 2009 (MH 710, 229-3745)

·                    If a finalist team want prize monies to be paid to a company or non-profit, then firm ID and tax numbers must be submitted to Pam Stukenborg, MGT/MKT Department Office Manager, by December 11^th, 2009 (MH 710, 229-3745)

·                    By entering the UD Business Plan Competition, applicants agree to allow the University of Dayton to use their application materials, photos, likenesses, and presentations to market, promote, and provide information about the Competition (this extends through all stages and aspects of the 2009-2010 UD BPC)

Evaluation Criteria -- What Judges Look For

This is a generalist competition. It is open to any type of business (subject to the restrictions listed below). Elevator pitches and business plans are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Level of innovation/creativity/originality
• Quality of benefits/customer value propositions
• Competitiveness in the marketplace/concept viability
• Perceived ability to execute
• Quality of the presentation
• Coverage and thoroughness
• Ease of Growth potential

Business Plan Eligibility Requirements

The competition reserves the right to disqualify business plans that fail to adhere to competition rules or are inconsistent with the values and mission of the University of Dayton. The following guidelines were created to clarify what is and is not acceptable for the competition.

• All work must be the original work of the applicants--proposals and plans that constitute “academic dishonesty” will be disqualified even if discovered after the competition ends
• If the application involves an existing venture, incorporation and funding dates must be one year or less at the time of the initial proposal (i.e. after September 1, 2008)
• All plans must be based on a legitimate business enterprise--ventures that involve breaking the law as part of their business model are prohibited (e.g., music piracy)
• Plans involving bars, or any other venture that requires a liquor license to be legal, are prohibited
• Plans that conflict with University values are prohibited--these include, but are not limited to, plans involving:
  • Businesses requiring a liquor license
  • Payday loan/check cashing companies
  • gambling
  • Events/activities featuring violence
  • Pornography
• All plans must be startups--purchasing a current venture, including Business Opportunities and Franchises, is prohibited
• Plans involving multi-level marketing are prohibited

Participation Expectations for Finalist Teams

It is imperative that ALL teams advancing to the finalist round (including five finalist teams and two alternates) adhere to the participation expectations outlined below.  This ensures fairness as well as helps teams do the best that they can in the competition.  Specifically:

• Finalist teams MUST meet with their assigned mentors in December 2009
• Finalist teams MUST complete five periodic status reports from December-2009 to March 2010 (see www.udbpc.com  schedule for specific dates)
• Finalist teams MUST attend one of the two dress rehearsal coaching sessions prior to making their final presentations and submit their initial slide show two days before the coaching session (see www.udbpc.com for specific dates)
• Finalist teams must submit a rough draft on February 12th, 2010.
• Finalist teams MUST submit their final business plan on March 12^th, 2010
• Finalist teams MUST discuss their experiences in the competition at UD’s Stander Symposium on April 14^th, 2010
• Alternate finalist teams are subject to all of the same expectations as the five finalist teams—should a finalist team withdraw, the first alternate team will then be allowed to compete for the top prize packages (the same holds if a second finalist team withdraws and the second alternate team advances)

Dept. of Management/Marketing
School of Business Administration
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469-2271