December 2004

Business Plan Competitions Launch 2005 Season

The Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) and the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition have successfully kicked off their 2004 seasons. The two competitions joined forces and co-sponsored the first workshop, “Opportunity Recognition,” of the business competition season on November 9. Over 120 students, staff and members of the community came to the workshop, which offered insightful presentations from three successful entrepreneurs: David Charron, Will Rosenzweig and Kevin Warnock.

GSVC followed up this general workshop with a session focused on educating Mentors and Entrants on how to calculate a business’ Social Impact Assessment. GSVC received over 115 executive summaries on November 17, 2004, representing 13 countries from around the world. There’s still time to get involved in this great competition. The next major milestone is February 1, 2005, when full business plans are due. The competition organizers are also looking for mentors to match with entrants, and sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information on the competition, see www.socialvc.net.

The UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition has generated lots of energy and excitement with their last two events. On Wednesday, December 8, 2004 they held their second workshop on “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” in the Wozniak Lounge in Soda Hall. Dean Richard Newton of the College of Engineering spoke to group of engineers and business students. The first annual “Idea Fair” was held the next day, December 9, 2004, at the Haas School of Business. Ten entrepreneurs brought their ideas and enthusiasm and spoke with over 100 interested participants. Teams are still being formed. Check out the competition’s Entrepreneurs Exchange for help putting your team together. Executive Summaries are due on Feburary 1, 2005. There are also opportunites for mentors and sponsors. To learn more, see groups.haas.berkeley.edu/bplan.

Photos by Nathan Dintenfass.

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