2010 Darden Business Plan Competition

Darden-UVA Business Plan Competition:

The primary purpose of the Darden (UVA) Business Plan Competition is to encourage the development of new business ventures by members of the Darden and UVA communities (students, faculty, staff, and alumni). Note that “new business ventures” excludes business ventures that have placed in the competition in a previous year or already have significant operations from participation in Darden Business Incubator.

Who May Enter:

To enter the Darden-UVA Business Plan Competition, each team must include at least one current UVA student (can be undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, or post-doctoral student), faculty, or staff member. UVA alumni and others are welcome to join teams as well, provided one member of the team is currently affiliated with UVA.

Awards for Winners of the Business Plan Competition:

First Prize: $10,000
Second Prize: $4,000
Third Prize: $1,000
Fourth Prize: $500

Winners receive guidance and mentoring by an advisory board consisting of Darden alumni, faculty, and others as appropriate.

Submission Requirements:

The Business Plan Competition requires submission of a complete business plan. This business plan should include:

An executive summary
A clear description of the product or service being offered
A discussion of the market for this product or service
An outline of the business model
An overview of the management team
Projected financials
Participants should be able to speak to the sales cycle, price point, product distribution, competitive advantages, and barriers to entry.

Disclaimer:

The Business Plan Competition will be open-session. Information deemed highly proprietary or sensitive should not be included or disclosed in either submissions or presentations. Concept documents will not be published or distributed except as described above. Participation in, submissions, and information disclosures, for the competition are wholly voluntary. Participants should note that they alone control the content of their disclosures. The Darden School, Batten Institute, and the University of Virginia assume no responsibility whatsoever for accidental or third-party breaches of confidentiality.