Submission Guidelines

Round One – 3 - 5 page summary

Submission deadline: Thursday, October 20, 2011
Announcement of second round participants: Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The 3- 5 page summary must include the following information:

  • Cover Page
    • The primary contact person, with complete contact information, including an email address
    • The business name (or proposed name), and a one-sentence overview of the main line of business
  • Project Team
    • Name of majority owner (51% or more)
    • Brief background on the entrepreneur(s) involved and their experience
    • Roles and responsibilities of those involved
  • Product and/or Service Offering
    • Brief description of the offering
    • What problem does it solve, or what need does it fulfill? What are the benefits of your offering?
  • Uniqueness of the Offering/Barriers to Entry from Competitors
    • Why is the product/service unique or different from the competition?
    • Who are the major competitors?
    • What potential barriers of entry could you encounter?
    • Is this uniqueness sustainable (e.g. patents, intellectual property, barriers to entry, etc.)?
  • Market Opportunity
    • Who are the targeted customers?
    • What is the market size?
    • Is there evidence they will buy the product?
    • How will the product penetrate the market?
  • Current Stage of Development
    • What is the current status of the technology/venture?
    • What are the key next steps?
  • Business Model
    • How will the company generate sustainable revenue?
  • Milestones and Success Metrics
    • What are the success metrics and timelines?
    • What is the time required to go to market?
  • Capital Requirements
    • How much funding is needed to move forward?
    • How will the money be used?
    • Why is your business an attractive investment?


The summary must be submitted in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF format prior to 5:00 pm AST on Thursday, October 20, 2011. A confirmation receipt will be sent by email after you complete your submission.

Please note: We are unable to accommodate updates once summaries are submitted.

The document must be limited to 3-5 pages of text (typed, double-spaced, minimum 12 point font, with at least 1” margins on all sides), excluding the cover page.

The judging panel will select a short list of up to five (5) entries per zone that will be invited to move into Round Two of the competition.