University of Colorado at Denver and Health Science Center

Programs

Business Plan Competition                                               

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The Bard Center Business Plan Competition—the premier academic business plan competition in Colorado—seeks to promote the development of high-caliber business plans, recognize the most outstanding plans with cash and in-kind awards from area businesses, and encourage the creation of new businesses. Cash and in-kind awards totaling nearly $100,000 are awarded annually.

The Bard Center solicits the best business plans from students, alumni, and faculty at all higher education/graduate-level institutions in Colorado. The goals of the competition are as follows:

Application and Evaluation Process

  1. Interested graduate students, alumni, and faculty in the state of Colorado are encouraged to learn more about competition criteria at an orientation session.
  2. Interested persons must submit an application to participate in the competition and submit their completed business plans to the Bard Center. (Entrepreneurs are welcome to use sample business plan outlines as the basis for the business plans they develop.)
  3. A panel of readers is selected from among the Bard Center Advisory Council, Business School faculty, and Bard Center alumni. These individuals evaluate all submitted plans using standardized judging criteria.
  4. The top six business plans enter the Business Plan Competition. The six finalists each have twenty minutes to present their plans to the panel and the public and have an additional ten minutes for question and answers.
  5. The judges choose the first-, second-, and third-place winners. Winners and other finalists are then recognized at an awards ceremony.

2008 Event Details

Bard Center students, faculty, Advisory Council members, and alumni, as well as members of the business community, are encouraged to attend the business plan presentations, awards ceremony, luncheon reception, and keynote address, which take place in June of each year. For more information, please review the event details or register for the 2008 ceremony and reception.

Awards:

Annually, a total of $25,500 is awarded to the top six finalists, and the winners receive approximately $80,000 of in kind awards. In addition, special incentive award categories have been created for the top business plans in the bioscience and nonprofit business fields to encourage the development of business plans from these two important business segments.

"As an aspiring entrepreneur going through the MBA program at UC Denver, the Bard Center gave birth to my second career and life. Not only did the Bard Center provide the tools and knowledge to become a successful entrepreneur, it also provided a great launch pad for my business concept, MetroBoom. Participating in the 2004 Bard Center Annual Business Plan Competition changed everything for me. Winning the first place honor served as "the wind behind the sail" my business concept needed for an ideal launch. The cash prize of $10,000 combined with over $15,000 worth of donated services from in-kind sponsors were extremely valuable resources. All the press and exposure I received from winning the competition gave MetroBoom the right type of attention and credibility it needed as a start-up. The Bard Center was also a great source for networking. I have met intelligent, motivated, and caring entrepreneurs and supporters of entrepreneurship. Without the help from the people I met through the Bard Center, it would not have been possible for me to launch MetroBoom. And, the support hasn't slowed down since my business opened. The networking opportunities still provide me with great sources for business leads and knowledge. The administrators, faculty members, students, board members, and alumnae provide immense amount of support for MetroBoom. They all serve as our ambassadors. The financial, emotional, and functional support from Bard Center motivates young entrepreneurs like myself to take the leap of faith into entrepreneurship with confidence and pride."
—Jung Park, MetroBoom, 2004 Business Plan Winner