Each team receives $1,250 as an award. Teams have been contacted via email.
Miami Herbert Business School undergraduates and graduate students plus alumni (2009-19) are invited to be a part of the Miami Innovation Adventure (formerly Business Plan Competition). This startup business competition, hosted by the Miami Herbert Business School, encourages entrepreneurship and recognizes successful business ideas from a wide range of disciplines.
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General Information
Each individual or team was required to submit a one to three-page initial concept paper for the first stage of the Business Plan Competition. The concept paper is the document used to determine which applicants will be invited to submit a full, detailed business plan for the competition. Therefore, it is important that the concept synopsis contain as much helpful and relevant information as possible, within the three page limit, to allow for a thorough evaluation of the concept.
All participants had to also create an online account, enter their personal information in order to submit the concept paper (see below).
Concept papers were evaluated based on the degree to which the following are thoroughly and clearly addressed:
Multiple concept paper submissions were NOT accepted. Each individual had to appear only on ONE submission.
If the concept paper submitted was based on a class project, either all members must have been part of the team or those not entering/participating must have approved the submission by the other team members in writing prior to the submission.
Students who qualified to the 'Canes Challenge were invited to pitch their idea on November 14, 2018 in front of a group of judges and a live audience. Teams/individuals were judged based on two dimensions: pitch content (essentially the content of the concept paper) and pitch delivery both of which are outlined below:
Pitch Content:
Pitch Delivery:
The University of Miami Business Plan Competition and the 'Canes Challenge are open to all University of Miami students in good academic and financial standing during the current academic year. The competitions are also open to all UM Alumni who are non-UM employees, graduation date must not be older than 2009.
For enrolled students, receiving an award may have an impact on your financial aid eligibility/package. Please contact the Office of Financial Assistance Services for more detailed information.
Link to the Undergraduate Office of Financial Assistance Services:
https://finaid.miami.edu/applying-for-aid/terms-and-conditions/index.html
Link to the Graduate Office of Financial Assistance Services:
https://grad-prof.miami.edu/applying-for-aid/terms-and-conditions/index.html
Each year, as oral presentations approach, some students become concerned about potential issues of confidentiality. Remember that the judges are largely entrepreneurs, investors, and financial professionals who deal with confidential information in the normal course of their work, and as such, you can expect them to behave professionally. You should feel free to exclude any information you regard as truly proprietary, but keep in mind that this may have a negative impact on your performance in the competition. Also keep in mind that your general venture idea is NOT proprietary, and in the vast majority of cases revealing it will have no impact on your competitive position. No judge, mentor, or UM faculty/staff should ever be asked to sign any sort of nondisclosure agreement, and your presentations may be open to the public.