Events « LYLES CENTER

DREAM IT WIN IT BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION PRIZE SCHEDULE

1. CSU Fresno students & 9 other community colleges competing
2. 1^st place gets an office in the Lyles Center, automatic entry into the Draper Fisher $250,000 Venture Challenge, scholarship to the E-Myth Leadership Intensive Seminar, and prize money.
3. 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd place will receive mentoring from the Lyles Center & cash prizes
4. Participants get a free copy of Palo Alto Software Business Plan Pro

About the “Dream it, Win it” 15k Student Business Competition

The “Dream it, Win it” Student Business Competition is an event that invites the college students of California State University Fresno and nine other community colleges throughout the Central Valley to compete for cash prizes totaling $15,000. Each individual student or student team is challenged to develop an innovative business plan to which they will present in front of distinguished panel of judges during the final round of the competition of May 1, 2010.

The first place winners of the competition will receive one of the eight Student Incubator office spaces in the Lyles Center, automatic entry into the Draper Fisher Jurvetson $250,000 Venture Challenge, a scholarship to the E-Myth Leadership Intensive Seminar, and prize money. Second place will receive cash prizes. All top three winners will be mentored by the Lyles Center to facilitate the start their businesses.

To assist participants in the development of their business plans, the Lyles Center will be hosting a series of workshops on the various aspects of writing a business plan during the 2010 Spring Semester. Each participant will also receive a free copy of Palo Alto Software’s Business Plan Pro, which provides an SBA-approved format for each participant to write and manage their plan. The faculty from CSU Fresno and the nine community colleges are strongly encouraged to serve as advisors of each team in order to becoming engaged in the experience themselves.

The intended outcome of the competition is to teach as many students as possible how to take their innovative business ideas, turn them into a business plan, and proceed to venture out to start their business in the Central Valley. With the prize money totaling $15,000 we will attract top talent and innovative ideas from all walks of life. In most instances, those individuals with the least opportunities often have the biggest and most inspiring dreams. Unfortunately, many of them give up on their dreams because they have no one to coach them along the way and they don’t have the resources to succeed. The goal of the “Dream it, Win it” $15k Student Business Competition is to give those students who have big, inspiring dreams of starting their own businesses the coaching and resources to succeed. Through the help of sponsors within the local community, we can contribute to opportunities of greater economic growth, entrepreneurial skill development, and the retention of regional talent.

The “Dream it, Win it” competition cannot be accomplished without the support of local businesses and the community here in the Central Valley. Even though we are all facing tough economic times, it is more important today than ever before to invest in the youthful minds that will create the new business climate of the future.