© 2012 Coventry University Entrepreneurs
We have now reached the final stage of the 2012-2013 CUE Business Creation Competition!
This is the one and only opportunity you will get in the University to develop a full business plan, have it judged by experienced entrepreneurs and investors, and have the chance of winning over £5,000 in cash! Regardless of your level of entrepreneurial experience, this is the best opportunity in Coventry to turn your business ideas into reality.
Reminder: You do NOT need to have participated in previous stages of the competition to enter the 5K Challenge. As long as one member of your team is a current member of the University or an alumnus graduated not more than 18 months ago, you are eligible to participate.
Here are some simple steps to help make the submission and judging process clearer:
Submission
1. Read the Competition Handbook. This was updated in March 2013, so do read it again even if you participated in the earlier stages of the competition.
2. For those who wish to request for a mentor, send your request and a 100 word summary of your business idea to Pavel, our VP (Competition), at pavel.abdulkin (at) cue (dot) org (dot) uk. Mentors will be able to provide their thoughts on your plans and give some suggestions for improvement. They will not help you write your plans.
3. Write a great business plan. Include short bios for each team member (will not count to the word limit) to facilitate the judging.
4. Fill out the 5K Competition Entry Form and attach it to your business plan. Send a soft copy to 5ksubmission@cue.org.uk by 28th April 2013.
5. Mail a hard copy of your the Entry Form, your business plan, the Competition Disclaimer and NDA (found on Page 18-20 of Competition Handbook) to us. Use UMS if you are in Coventry to send it for free. Entry fee should be sent as a cheque if possible. These must be sent by 29th April 2013.
Judging
1. Judges will read all plans and score them based on the judging criteria laid out in the Competition Handbook.
2. Top teams from each of the 3 streams will be selected as Finalists. Finalists will be notified by 22nd May 2013.
3. Finalists will have to attend the judging meeting for their respective streams, where they will pitch their ideas to the judging panel and get the opportunity to clarify any questions the judges may have.
The Technology stream meeting will be held on the 28th of May, Social Enterprise on the 29th of May and Software on the 30th of May. These meetings will take place from 9 to 11am.
4. Judges will deliberate and decide on the winning teams.
5. Winners will be announced at the Grand Finale on 14th June 2013. Prizes include £5K prizes for the best Technology, Software and Social Enterprise start-ups, £7.5K for the best Life Science start-up and £2.5K for the Entrepreneur of the Year. Teams will also get the chance to pitch to a panel of Angel Investors for a chance at winning a Special Angel Prize!
Good Luck! We look forward to receiving your entries!
