Who can participate?
There are two divisions for the competition, student and professional. For the student track, any currently enrolled college student or 2024 college graduate may apply to compete. The professional track is open to any other entrepreneur looking to transform a business plan or idea into reality.
What do the awards include?
Prize packages include office space, business services, start-up boot camp, training, mentoring, and a cash investment. See the Awards page for more information.
When is the competition?
The application to compete opens July 1, 2024, and can be found here: Online Application. Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. September 1, 2024.
If chosen to compete, you will be notified as quickly as possible after the application deadline. The competition is September 26, 2024 on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University. Located in Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, onsite registration will open at 7:30 a.m. EST with the competition ending around noon. All teams competing must be on-site for their presentations that day.
What do I need for the competition?
Participants should be prepared with a 60-second elevator pitch and a 10-minute presentation. They should be prepared to answer questions about their potential customers, market space, value proposition (what makes their product or service unique), and financial forecast.
Presentations can be in any format but must be submitted prior to the competition to ensure proper support is available and they are ready to go. Any items or parts of the presentations that need to be shipped can be arranged.
Where can we stay for the competition?
Local hotels are available with rooms available at the Hampton Inn and Suites, 7329 US-36, Sunbury, OH 43074. Reservations can be made online through https://www.hilton.com/.