Mark Your Calendar
The Entrepreneurs Challenge offers workshops, team-building events, networking forums and coaching sessions to help you refine your venture concept and prepare you for each phase of the competition. All events are held on campus from September 2011 through May 2012.| September 22, 2011 5-7 pm | Competition Kick-off Get more competition details and hear from previous winners. >>RSVP for Competition Kick-off Kick-off Press Release |
| September 25, 2011 9-2:pm | New Venture Concept Workshop* (mandatory) Intensive how-to training on identifying the market opportunity and determining the feasibility of your venture concept. >>RSVP for New Venture Concept Workshop |
| September 26, 2011 5-7:00 pm 7-8 pm | Teammate Hunt and Networking Event No team? No problem. Here’s your chance to connect with others who have the interests, talent and skills you seek. Plus, it’s a chance to scope out the competition. >>RSVP for Teammate Hunt. Registration is closed at 7:00 pm on Sept. 25. |
| October 6, 2011 5-6:00 pm | Conducting Industry & Market Research Discover the comprehensive resources, tools and databases at your disposal for collecting critical industry, competitor and consumer data. » RSVP for Conducting Industry & Market Research Library Resource Guide, click here. |
| October 6, 2011 | Enter the competition. Teams must register online and pay the non-refundable application fee. $75/student team; $150/alumni team. >> Register to enter. This is the official deadline for entering the competitions. |
| October 23, 2011 9:-3 pm | Entrepreneurs' Boot Camp Workshop*(mandatory) Intensive how-to-training on developing your marketing strategy and business model, preparing financial statements, evaluating operational requirements, etc. >>RSVP for Entrepreneurs' Boot Camp |
| October 27, 2011 5:30-7:30 pm | Legal Issues for Start-ups Workshop Learn about critical legal issues and how to protect and leverage the assets of your new venture. >>RSVP for Legal Issues for Start-ups |
| November 10, 2011 5:30-7:30 pm | Customer Development Workshop Tips from Steve Blank, a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in high technology companies and management. >>RSVP Customer Development Workshop |
| December 7, 2011 By 3 pm | Feasibility Analysis is due. .All teams interested in competing must submit a New Venture Feasibility Analysis. This is round 1. >>Submit your Feasibility Ananlysis |
| December 16, 2011 | Semi-finalist candidate teams are announced. |
| January 25, 2012 | Teams notified of their mentor group. |
| February 5, 2012 9-1 pm | Business Plan Workshop for Semi-finalist candidates.* (mandatory) |
| February 15, 2012 | New Venture Showcase* (mandatory) Semi-finalist candidates show off their business concepts to seasoned entrepreneurs, investors and potential mentors. Mentors, need to register as a new user. >>RSVP for New Venture Showcase |
| February 29, 2012 3 pm | Draft Business Plans are due. Plans are to be submitted online and 2 hard copies dropped off at the Berkley Center. |
| March 7 & 8, 2012 4:30-7:30 | Team Strategy Feedback Session and Pitch-off Practice* (mandatory) At this videotaped dress rehearsal for the semi-finalists, teams pitch their idea to a panel of coaches and get feedback on their business model and content of their presentation |
| March 26, 2012 5:30-7:30 pm | How to pitch a winning venture.* (mandatory) |
| April 11, 2012 | Final Business Plans are due. Submit online and drop off 8 hard copies by 3:00 pm at the Berkley Center |
| April 20, 2012 | First Round of Pitches All semi-finalist teams pitch their venture ideas to a panel of judges from which the finalist teams are selected. |
| May 4, 2012 | Final Pitch-off and Award Ceremony >>RSVP for Final-Pitch-off and Awar Ceremony |
