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Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

2012 Rohrer Business Plan Competition

The William G. Rohrer Business Plan Competition is a competition to encourage students and individuals to pursue entrepreneurial ventures and develop high-growth businesses. The competition aims to educate and prepare students for future opportunities in entrepreneurship, and does so by providing a forum in which participants may present their ideas to win cash prizes to help with their business ventures.

Experiences of our past winners...

"The feedback from the professors regarding my business and business plan was priceless.  Entering the business plan definitely helped point me in the right direction."

- Jeremy Smith, Founder of Shellfish Bastard Crab Sauce
Winner of 2009 Rohrer Business Plan Competition

"The Business Plan Competition was a great start to my career. . . The assistance that I recieved from the professors at Rowan University was invaluable to finishing a successful business plan and the competition itself forced me to finish it in a timely manor. By having a finished plan, I was able to start my business right away. I took the plan I wrote for the competition to the bank and started my business just before graduation. All of the wonderful PR from the competition helped boost sales at startup. If you are serious about owning a business, you must compete in the competition and give it your all. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you Rowan University!"

- Jay Shoemaker, Founder of Shoemaker Entertainment, LLC
Winner of 2007 Rohrer Business Plan Competition

The competition is divided into four main phases:

Phase 1: Submission of Materials

All registrations must be submitted by clicking the following link: Intent to Compete Form. All teams registered will be eligible to submit a feasibility analysis in Phase 2. Please visit the Rules & Regulations for additional eligibility information.

To enter you must complete all requested information about team members and the proposed business.  Additionally, teams must include, in a space provided for this purpose, an Executive Summury no more than three pages in length discussing their proposed concept and business. 

Submission of information is due October 7th

You will need to create an account with iStart and submit an application through their online site: http://rowanbpc2012.istart.org

Phase 2: Feasibility Analysis

Submit Feasibility Analysis to be screened - Deadline: Wednesday, Nov.11  ~ Results will be announced Nov. 28

The plan must be written for a seed or start-up stage venture and must address the entire business concept including implementation.

Feasibilities are limited to 15 pages (12pt Times New Roman, double spaced). This limitation includes the executive summary and summary financial data.

Appendices should be included only when they support the findings, statements and observations in the plan. Due to the expected number of teams entering the competition, reviewers and judges may not be able to read all of the material in the appendices.

Judges will review and score the feasibility (see scoring criteria). Finalists will be notified of their opportunity to advance to the final phase of the Competition. Teams will have 1 month to prepare their business plans and another 3 weeks to prepare their oral presentations.

Phase 3: Business Plan

Plans are limited to 30 pages (12pt Times New Roman, double spaced). This limitation includes the executive summary, all financial data, and appendices.

Those who have submitted the business plan will be eligable to move onto Phase 4, the final phase.

Phase 4: Oral Presentation

Finalists selected to make oral presentations will be required to follow the Event Presentation Guidelines. In order to maximize presentation time we recommend that the presentation cover the following points. Presentations will be limited to 15 minutes in length, including questions and answers.

  1. Venture concept – A clear concept of the business must be presented to the judges. The idea must be believable and plausible
  2. Market opportunity – A successful venture concept may have a good idea, but will not succeed unless there is a demand for the product/service.
  3. Technology – In any product/service related startup, the judges realize that the most advanced technology is not always a plausible idea to have. However a team can improve their image and score by introducing new technology, or creating a new use for existing technology.
  4. Protecting proprietary rights – All teams must mention their plan or previous action in protecting their proprietary rights. A business idea is useless to the creator if it can be copied immediately by competitors.
  5. Manufacturing (if applicable) – A brief description of the manufacturing plans are necessary in order to prove that the startup venture was well thought out, and is taking into account all expenses.
  6. Marketing, Sales and Distribution – A new product/service is useless unless the public is aware of it. The presentation must include how the team plans to get their product to their customers.
  7. Management team – The human capital in a startup is crucial to its success in the future. A brief summary of the management team’s background is necessary.
  8. Funding – The amount of money the team has received previously indicates to a degree how concrete their idea appeared to other investors. The amount of funding also indicates the amount of capital the startup has to grow and expand.

Resources

A variety of resources are available to all participants in the competition to help you complete each stage. Workshops will be offered prior to the due dates of the feasibility study and final business plan. Further information on these sessions will be available soon - please plan on attending. Faculty and staff will be on hand to provide guidance and structucture for your written feasibility students and business plans. Additional online resources and sample plans are also available.

Business Plan Competition Presentations and Judging

Date:

April 14, 2012

Time:

9:00am-1:00pm

Location:

Rowan University Student Center, Glassboro, NJ

Registration:

Register Online to Attend

 

Contact Info:
Stephen M. Kozachyn
Director of Outreach, Rowan Rohrer College of Business
Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
kozachyn@rowan.edu
(856)-256-4126