If you run a social entreprise or a sustainable/green business, check out this great list. Business plan competitions are a tried-and-true way for a start-up to get visibility, invaluable advice, and that all important seed funding.
Ian Fisk runs The William James Foundation competitions in Washington DC. He recently shared this list with this year’s judges (including myself) and I am happy to pass it on.
Each listing includes what Ian knows about deadlines, eligibility, and prizes, and contains a URL to the competition site.
If you know of other competitions, please add them in the comments to make this a great list, and I will pass those back to Ian.
Global Social Entrepreneurship/Sustainable Business Plan Competitions
Ashoka Citizen Base Awards http://www.citizenbase.org/bp_competitions
Ongoing; Winners receive funding and are linked to Ashoka’s network of social entrepreneurs.
Baruch College & Merrill Lynch IPO Challenge Entrepreneurship Competition http://zicklin.baruch.cuny.edu/bcec/college
First round in November. Half the team must be Baruch students. $100,000 in cash prizes.
BiD Challenge http://www.bidnetwork.org/set-44007-en.html
Ongoing. Competitions in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Philippines, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Jordon.
Brigham Young University Business Plan Competition Social Entrepreneurship Category http://socialventure.byu.edu
January 14th 2009
Applicants must be currently enrolled at Brigham Young (Provo, Hawaii, or Idado). $50,000 in cash and prizes.
Business Environmental Awards http://www.acterra.org/bea/index.html
January 30, 2009 For existing companies in the San Francisco Bay area. Some Non-profit organizations are eligible.
California Clean Tech Open www.cacleantech.org
June 17, 2009; Prize Packages Totaling $600,000
Connecticut Venture Group www.cvg.org/contest.html
April; A team member must be at a Connecticut University.
Duke Start Up Challenge (Social Entrepreneurship) http://www.dukestartupchallenge.org/about
February 19, 2009 At least one full-time Duke student.
Echoing Green http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellowship
September; Two year fellowships for emerging social innovators.
Eileen Fisher http://www.eileenfisher.com
June 1, 2009
Five grants of $10,000 for socially conscious, woman-owned businesses.
Tufts Social Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competitions
http://gordon.tufts.edu/leadCompetitions.htm (Application is via YouNoodle)
January 16, 2009; One member of each team must be a Tufts student.
Florida International University Entrepreneur Challenge http://fiuchallenge.com
January 30, 2009 Open to all Southeast Florida Area Residents and all FIU Students & Alumni.
Foster School of Business CIE Business Plan Competition http://bschool.washington.edu/cie/bpc/
April 2, 2009; Entrants must be full- or part-time college students enrolled in Washington state.
Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition http://bschool.washington.edu/gsec
November 12, 2008; At least one team member must be a current student.
Global Social Venture Competition www.gsvc.org
January 21, 2009; One team member must be a current graduate business student anywhere in the world, or have graduated with the past two years. Prizes worth $50,000.
Gonzaga University Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program Business Plan Competition http://tr.im/htpI
February 26, 2009; Undergraduate and graduate students from Gonzaga, EWU, Whitworth and Washington State University. Prizes totaling $42,500.
Harvard Business School Business Plan Contest http://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/businessplan/
February 9, 2009; All teams must include at least one HBS second year student. Prizes totaling over $60,000.
Ignite Clean Energy Competition http://www.ignitecleanenergy.com/competition
March 2, 2009 A year-long training and competitive forum for entrepreneurs in the clean energy industry.
Investor’s Circle Call for Applicants
http://www.investorscircle.net/for_entrepreneurs/call-for-applicants
January 15, 2009
J.P. Morgan Good Venture Case Competition http://goodventure.org/home.cfm
February 12, 2009; For philanthropic non-profit organizations.
JMU Sustainable Business Plan Competition www.jmu.edu/cob/cfe/business_plan.shtml
March 2, 2009; JMU students, faculty, alumni and local residents compete for up to $100,000.
LES (Licensing Executives Society) Foundation Graduate School Competition http://www.lesfoundation.org/graduate_student
March 4 2009; For licensing techologies. $10K in cash plus $45K in services.
MIT IDEAS Competition http://web.mit.edu/ideas/www/index.htm
April 15, 2009; One third of each team must be full-time MIT students. $50,000 in prizes.
McGinnis Venture Competition http://mcginnisventurecompetition.com
February 23, 2009; At least one graduate student must be a member of the management team.
NESsT Social Enterprise Competition http://www.nesst.org/competition/
No 2009 dates listed Civil society organizations from Argentina, Brasil, Ecuador and Peru.
NYU – Leonard Stern School of Business http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/berkley/bpc.cfm?doc_id=6306
October 27, 2008; All teams must include a Stern representative to compete. Cash prizes $100,000.
Oxford University 21st Century Challenge http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/21challenge/competition/
No 2009 dates listed. Must be a for-profit
Private Sector Development Research Competition http://www.ifc.org/competition
No 2009 dates listed. This is an essay contest. Applicants must not be an employee of the World Bank.
Rice University Business Plan Competition
http://www.alliance.rice.edu/alliance/RBPC.asp?SnID=1616311824
International – Jan 16, 2009. USA – Feb 13, 2009 The management team must consist of at least one graduate student. $700,000 in prizes.
RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service Social Innovation Competition www.utexas.edu/lbj/rgk/competition/index.php
February 20, 2009 Undergraduate and graduate level students from any 4-year university or college in the world are eligible to enter. $50,000 in prizes.
Seattle Pacific University Social Venture Plan Competition http://www.spu.edu/depts/sbe/svpc.asp
February 24th, 2009 Must include SPU student.$7,500 in prizes.
Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship www.skollfoundation.org/skollawards/index.asp
Several deadlines throughout the year: March, August, November. Programs submitted for consideration should have a track record of no less than three years.
Social Enterprise Club Pitch for Change Competition http://www.pitchforchange.org/
January 30th, 2009; Participants do NOT need to have a completed business plan. They simply need to have a great idea that will have a significant social impact
Social Innovation Forum http://www.socialinnovationforum.org
Already chosen for 2009 Organizations and programs in the Greater Boston area.
Stanford Social E-Challenge http://bases.stanford.edu/social-e-challenge/competition/ (Submit via YouNoodle.com)
February 17, 2009; Team must be at least half full-time Stanford students. $50,000 in prizes.
Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) World Cup http://www.sageglobal.org For High School Students
Tulane Business Plan Competition http://www.tulanebusinessplancompetition.com/
February 8, 2009 Plans can be either for profit or non-profit ventures. $20,000 in prizes.
University of San Francisco International Business Plan Competition http://www.usfca.edu/sobam/nvc/bpc/
January 7, 2009 $25,000 in prizes.
William James Foundation 2008-09 Socially Responsible Business Plan Competition www.williamjamesfoundation.org; www.williamjamesfoundation.org/sustainability;
www.williamjamesfoundation.org/dcprize
First round Deadline December 12th, 2008; One team member must be or have been a student anywhere in the world in the past ten years. $60,000 in prizes, including special prizes for environmental sustainability and support of the Washington, DC community.
Yale Entrepreneurial Society (YES) http://www.yesatyale.org/y50k.php
January 19, 2009 $50K in prizes.
Youth Social Enterprise Initiative http://www.ysei.org
Below 30 years old from Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Philippines or Sri Lanka
{ 2 comments }
Thank you so much for compiling this list! This kind of award can do so much for a small social enterprise like ours.
Emily Kerr
http://www.ligamasiva.com
A slight correction to this list. the California Clean Tech Open is now Clean Tech Open, with regional competitions in California, Rocky Mountain region and Pacific Northwest.
Here is a recent announcement on the competition:
CLEAN TECH OPEN CALLS FOR ENTREPRENEURS TO CREATE 100,000 GREEN-COLLAR JOBS
Proven clean tech innovation catalyst launches fourth annual competition with more than $1M in total prizes; competition expands to include Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions.
SAN JOSE, Calif.—March 19, 2009: The Clean Tech Open (www.cleantechopen.com), the innovation catalyst that helps great ideas become viable clean tech businesses, today challenged entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, government agencies, universities, and non-government organizations (NGOs) to participate in the Clean Tech Open’s 100K Jobs Challenge — to create 100,000 clean tech jobs in America over the next five years.
“Entrepreneurs are the key to re-building the nation’s economy; their optimism and innovation is exactly what the country needs right now,” said Michael Santullo, co-founder of the Clean Tech Open. “Many participants in the Clean Tech Open are first-time entrepreneurs—they have a great idea, but could really use some assistance. This is where the Clean Tech Open steps in: we connect entrepreneurs with the expertise, talent, and funding to create a successful, sustainable business.”
The ambitious 100K Jobs Challenge is part of an aggressive expansion for Clean Tech Open, the leading clean tech business competition that has already helped more than 120 entrepreneurs launch companies—and subsequently raise over $125 million in external funding—since its inception in 2006.
This year, in addition to the original competition held in California, the Clean Tech Open is expanding to two new regions: the Rocky Mountain region, including Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming; and the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Entrepreneurs will compete for a total of more than $1 million in prizes.
“We are excited to bring Clean Tech Open to Colorado and the region,” said Richard Franklin, co-chair of the Clean Tech Open, Rocky Mountain chapter, based in Denver. “This is the hub of the New Energy Economy and this competition will help accelerate the creation of green collar jobs and a sustainable regional economy.”
“The Pacific Northwest is already a major source of clean technology innovation, whether in fuel cell technology, synthetic forecasting, advanced biofuels and biomass, ocean energy and energy efficiency,” said John Pierce, co-chair of the Clean Tech Open Pacific Northwest chapter, based in Seattle, and Member, Renewable Energy and CleanTech Practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. “This event will sharpen the focus of our region’s venture capitalists, academic institutions and laboratories on the economic opportunities clean technology offers.”
To help expand its reach, the Clean Tech Open is partnering with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest U.S. foundation that focuses on advancing entrepreneurship and innovation.
“We will work with this initiative to help it connect with the organizations, entrepreneurs and innovators interested in advancing green technologies,” said Christine Gulbranson, a senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation. “We fully support this vision because whenever you connect entrepreneurs with a solid network of support, you will see companies emerge. And new companies translate to new jobs.”
“The Clean Tech Open works,” said Zach Gentry, CEO, Adura Technologies. “Back in 2006, our clean tech vision needed support, connections and seed funding to grow. Today, we have 20 employees and have raised more than $5 million in capital. We’re proof that the Clean Tech Open’s support and education of entrepreneurs is the right strategy for growing our economy—locally and nationally.”
The Clean Tech Open is made possible by the generous support provided by National Expansion Sponsor, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Platinum Sponsor, PG&E; Gold Sponsors The Cleantech Circle, Google, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati; Silver Sponsors Accretive Solutions and RoseRyan; and Program Sponsors California Clean Energy Fund, Ernst and Young, and Korn/Ferry International.
Competition details
Early stage startups are invited to enter in six competition categories: renewable energy, transportation, smart power, energy efficiency, green building, and air/water/waste management. More information on the competition is here: http://www.cleantechopen.com/competition.php?page=home
Startups will compete first for regional prizes—$100,000 in cash and services to each of six winners in California; cash and services worth $50,000 to each of the three winners in both the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions. The 12 regional winners will then face off in a national competition, vying for the Grand Prize of $250,000 in cash and services.
The competition is now open in all regions, and startups have until May 30, 2009 to submit entries. Semifinalists will be selected in each category and invited to participate in the Clean Tech Open Accelerator program, where they will be given hands-on training and experience in all aspects of starting and sustaining their businesses from national experts in venture capital, business, law, marketing and sustainability.
About the Clean Tech Open
Clean Tech Open is a catalyst for clean tech innovation, and the impetus behind the Clean Tech Open’s 100K Jobs Challenge. A non-profit organization founded in 2006, it provides today’s clean tech innovators with the tools, training and connections they need to become tomorrow’s viable clean tech businesses. The core of Clean Tech Open is an annual business competition, supported by expert volunteers and mentors, that provides entrepreneurs with the crucial business training, services and insights they need to go to market successfully. The Clean Tech Open has assisted over 120 companies raise more than $125 million in external funding, and has spurred the creation of hundreds of jobs in California. Fueled by a network of over 400 volunteers and sponsors, the Clean Tech Open unites the public and private sectors in a shared vision for making America’s clean tech sector a thriving economic engine. Past alumni successes include Adura Technologies, Cool Earth Solar and GreenVolts. To learn more, visit: http://www.cleantechopen.com.
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