Author Profile: Amy Buttell
Venture Labs: The “Super Bowl” of Investment Competitions
Since 1984, teams of graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin have competed in an effort to win a competition designed to mimic the real world process for gaining venture funding to start a new company. Originally known … Continue reading
A look at the world’s largest business plan competition: Rice University
When the Rice University Business Plan Competition started in 2001, nine teams competed for $10,000 in prize money. Last academic year, the 10th anniversary competition gave away more than $1.3 million in cash, equity and other prizes, making it the … Continue reading
5 reasons to enter a business plan competition
The obvious reason to enter a business plan competition is money — the potential to score big and achieve at least some of the funding you’re likely to need to get your business off the ground. But that’s only one … Continue reading
iStart aims to aid start-ups, business plan competition organizers
A little over a year ago, the Kauffman Foundation launched iStart, a platform for business ideas and business plan competition organizers and participants. The goal of the site is to become the largest repository of business ideas and the go-to … Continue reading
Pitch contests gain popularity
For years, business plan competitions were the only option for would-be entrepreneurs seeking prizes, funding and the chance to get in front of venture capitalists via a competition framework. But now, more and more competitions are adding elevator pitch — … Continue reading
Is a bigger jackpot better in business plan competitions?
On Tuesday, Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. announced that a group of 10 entrepreneurs had created a $1.1 million fund to support a new business plan competition that consists of $250,000 in annual prize money and investments. While this isn’t the largest … Continue reading
