Submission Overview and Guidelines
Multiple concept synopsis submissions are NOT acceptable. Each individual should only appear on ONE submission.
Each concept paper must contain individual or all team member name(s), e-mail address(es), and phone number(s).
Concept paper submissions may only and must be entered using the submission form via the competition Web site no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 2009.
The date and timestamp of the submission form mailbox will serve as the official receipt information; please leave adequate time to ensure your submission is recieved as the mailbox will be shut down after 4:00 PM.
Submissions must be typed and presented in a single Microsoft Word or PDF document not to exceed 5 pages total; all required information must be contained within the 5 pages submitted. No other supporting documents will be accepted.
Submissions longer than 5 pages will not be accepted; a cover page is not needed.
Do not send a secure document that requires a password to be opened; such entries will not be accepted into the competition.
If the concept synopsis submitted is based on a class project, either all members must be part of the team or those not entering/participating must approve the submission by the other team members.
The content of the concept papers may vary depending on the type of venture. However, it is critical that the following issues should be addressed in detail:
- What exactly is the product or service?
- What is the market?
- Who is the customer?
- What are the financial possibilities (size/profitability goals)?
- What is the business model?
- Can your team pull this off?
- What is the exit strategy for investors?
It is also critical that references are provided for all key facts, and that key assumptions are explicitly stated.
Submissions that don’t fully address the critical issues, or that don’t provide references or explain assumptions, will be rejected.
Additional Information
The competition strongly encourages concept synopsis entries of a multidisciplinary or cross-academic classification nature. This can include a combination of team members from multiple schools/colleges at the University, or at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Join the University of Miami Business Plan Competition group on Facebook to find a partner and/or form a team.
Both the concept synopsis and finalist business plan submissions will be treated as confidential by those involved with the competition; however, please note that for screening and evaluation purposes these items will be reviewed by multiple competition personnel and panelists.
