Business Competition– Open to ALL majors!

Business Plan Competition

The UW Business Plan Competition is the marquee event for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington Michael G. Foster School of Business. In the past thirteen years, the Business Plan Competition has successfully:

Awarded $872,000 in prize money to 87 student companies

Involved over 300 judges, mentors, sponsors, supporters each year from the alumni and business community

Promoted student ideas and new venture creation

Provided an opportunity for business and science students to present new business plans to Seattle area venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and investors

Learn more via competition FAQs or by contacting Sarah Massey at masses@uw.edu or 206.685.9868.

Can non-business students enter the competition?
Yes. The Business Plan Competition is open to ALL students who are currently enrolled in a degree program in the state of Washington.

If I don’t find any team members that really seem like “the right fit” during the Networking Nights, is it OK to have a “team” of just one person?
It is OK to have just one person on a team.  However, if you advance to the Investment Round, you’ll want to add a few people to your team to help you pitch to judges.

Can we submit a business plan into the competition for a business that is or may become a nonprofit / social business in the future?
The competition is open to all types of businesses.  Every year there are nonprofit or socially responsible businesses in the competition.

Is there a BPC archive that has a synopsis of the BPC plans submitted so far?
Yes, but you must come to CIE to look at it.  Be sure to call or email the CIE Office to set-up a time.

Can a student submit plans for more than one team?
You are allowed to participate in the Business Plan Competition with more than one team. It can be a logistical challenge to do that at the Investment Round and Sweet 16, but it is possible.

Am I allowed to have a faculty member as a mentor for the BPC?
You can have a faculty member as a mentor. We’re also happy to try to pair you with a professional in the field who could coach and mentor you through the process. Note, it’s much more effective if you have an idea of who you would like to talk to more about your idea. Coming and simply asking for a mentor will make it challenging for you to find the right person. You should do research to find out who you want to talk to.

I am part of a company looking to recruit students to assist in taking my idea through the Business Plan Competition. How should I go about doing this?
Here are two ways to meet students:

Post a profile on the find teams and students web page.  Succinctly describe what your idea is and the type of team members you’d like to join your team.

Attend the Business Plan Competition Networking Night. There will be opportunities to meet with lot of students and pitch your idea to them.

Can I compete two years in a row?
Students are welcome and encouraged to participate as many times as they want – as long as they are a student (enrolled in a degree seeking program in Washington state) or have a student on their team.

Can I change the name of the business at some point during the competition?
You are allowed to change your company name during the competition. We recommend that you reference the name change in your documents (one-page executive summary or business plan).

Can I have more than 4 members on my team?
You can have as many people on your team as your like; there is no official limit. Most teams are 3-5 people, but you can do whatever makes the most sense for you. However, only four teammates can pitch at a time during the Investment Round. If you have more than four team members, you can tradeoff.

Is the list of judges for the Business Plan Competition available to the participants?
We don’t release our judge lists for any of the rounds.

Do judges or coaches usually sign NDAs (non-disclosure agreements)?
Judges and coaches do not sign NDAs.  This is common practice in the entrepreneurial world, especially when you are pitching your idea to investors.  You should figure out a way to talk about your business, but not give away the confidential information that could be patented, trademarked, or that is simply your secret sauce.

Contact Sarah Massey at masses@uw.edu or 206.685.9868 for more information.

 

‘Fuel’ playing at the Varsity Theatre

Fuel:
Directed by Joshua Tickell

Record high oil prices, global warming, and an insatiable demand for energy: these issues will be the catalyst for heated debates and positive change for many years to come. 2008 Sundance award-winning film FUEL exposes shocking connections between the auto industry, the oil industry and the government, while exploring alternative energies such as solar, wind, electricity and non-food-based biofuels. Josh Tickell and his Veggie Van take us on the road as we discover the pros and cons of biofuels, how America’s addiction to oil is destroying the U.S. economy and how green energy can save us, but only if we act now.
Check it out on University Ave at the Varsity Theatre:

Showtimes

Check out the trailer, too

Tropical Tour at Volunteer Park

The temperatures have taken a dip and the rains aren’t so light and refreshing anymore. Throw on some rainboots (but leave the umbrella at home because Seattle-ites dont use umbrellas, right) and head up to Volunteer Park at the top of Capital Hill. From now until the new year, Volunteer Conservationists are offering mini-Tropical Tours that highlight their Conservatory’s plants, architecture, plant acquisition and other green-delights to offer us on a gray Seattle afternoon.

Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday 11:00am and 1:00pm
05/01/2008 through 12/31/2008
Presented at: Volunteer Park Conservatory
1400 East Galer Street, Seattle
(206) 322-4112

http://www.volunteerparkconservatory.org/

Cultural Landscape Preservation — May 6th –

Education Lecture Series: Introduction to Cultural Landscape Preservation

Dunn Gardens hosts a presentation by Beth Dodrill, Dunn Gardens Board Member/Conservation Committee and Consulting Preservation Specialist.

Tuesday May 6th
10am-12pm
13533 Northshire Rd NW, Seattle, WA

From I-5 North or South:

Take Exit 175 – NE 145th Street (2 exits north of Northgate)

** Go WEST on NE 145th (if coming from the south, turn left; if from the north, turn right); continue across Highway 99 /Aurora Ave and Greenwood Ave N, then you will see the Seattle Golf Course on your right; continue on 145th until you get to a stop sign at 3rd Ave NW

Turn LEFT on 3rd Ave NW

Turn RIGHT on NW 137th

Turn LEFT on Northshire Rd NW, which is the second street on the left

Go past three houses on right, then turn RIGHT into our entrance marked by two brick pillars with an open white gate

Keep LEFT at the first fork, following the small green signs, LEFT at the second fork, then take the next RIGHT which loops in front of our grey two-story cottage.

Drive past the front door and garage and take a LEFT into the parking lot.

West Duwamish Greenbelt Work — Volunteer! —

In support of their Arts in Nature Festival that takes place every August, a series of posts will be dedicated to funding and volunteering of the Nature Consortium. So really, this is an arts-link… just not until August.

—-

The Nature Consortium is a small non-profit organization based in West Seattle, committed to the long-term stewardship & restoration of the West Duwamish Greenbelt, the largest remaining contiguous forest in Seattle. Our main goal is reintroducing native conifer species to the greenbelt. We also focus on invasive removal, maintenance, monitoring, & environmental education activities at the site.

We are currently looking for volunteers who can get involved in monthly/weekly restoration work parties and educational workshops Saturdays from 10am-2pm.

Upcoming Dates:

April 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th
May 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st

Please RSVP to volunteer@naturec.org if you’ll be attending.
(Please provide your Name, Address, Phone number, Email, Age and Work Party of Interest.)
Tools, gloves, & refreshments are provided.

Further Details/Directions are available at www.naturec.org

Colman Park Makeover — March 29th —

Bring a frisbee, a peanut butter (jelly optional) sandwich, and some friends to work on cleaning up Colman Park on Lake Washington before the summer crowds begin to muck it all up again.

Come assist the Urban Forestry staff as they continue the restoration of the forest at Colman Park. Typical activities include removal of invasive plants, trail work, and spreading of mulch.

——
ABOUT THE PARK

Colman Park is located just south of the old Lake Washington Floating Bridge. The beach itself is adjacent to Mount Baker Bathing Beach, but is a part of Colman Park.

The beach features grass, big drooping willows, and picnic tables. If you’ve brought along your Frisbee, football, soccer ball, or volleyball, the grass to the north makes a friendly playing ground.

——–
Start Time: 10:00-2:00
Location: 1800 Lake Washington Blvd.; call contact for more info
Cost: none
Contact: Jillian Weed 206-423-1608
Sponsored by: Seattle Parks Urban Forestry Unit
Email: jillian.weed@seattle.gov

‘King Corn’ free movie screening –March 22nd–

Community Cinema Seattle… engaging communities through film.

King Corn is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. In King Corn, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat-and how we farm.

Like ‘Supersize Me’, ‘Fastfood Nation’, and others, this documentary looks at consumption patterns in the US as well as production information that is usually not available to citizens before documentary film-making and investigative journalism took hold of popular culture.

**Presented by Community Cinema Seattle**

Start Time: 4:00 PM
Location: 1515 12th Ave (@ Pike) 98122
Cost: FREE
Contact: Patrick Baroch 800-930-6060
Sponsored by: ITVS Community Cinema Seattle

Website: http://communitycinemaseattle.org/

Seattle Architecture: A Walking Guide to Downtown Book-Signing

Seattle Architecture: A Walking Guide to Downtown -- the long-awaited guidebook has been described as a model of accuracy and comprehensive coverage of downtown Seattle buildings and spaces. More than 400 images are featured in the full-color book. Seattle Architecture Foundation (SAF) worked with author Marueen Elenga and volunteers for more than two years to develop the book, the organization’s first publication. It is the only Seattle guidebook that focuses entirely on downtown Seattle from I-5 to Elliott Bay, Seattle Center, and the southern boundaries of the International District and where it all began, Pioneer Square.   

From a UW Art student’s Art History dissertation project, this book is fully funded by generous donations from Seattle families and companies. Architecture firms released their own images to compile a visually compelling look at Seattle’s urban landscape. The Space Needle isn’t the only cool piece of architecture we have! In fact, we pass innovative architecture each day.

Tour Dates:
Thursday, Mar 20, 7:00 PM
Where:
University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, 98105
Cost:
FREE. No registration required.

First Day of Spring! –March 20th–

Magnuson Environmental Stewardship Alliance

Join us! We will be planting native plants in the Natural Areas. This is an effort to keep Seattle green and sustain the sprawling Magnusun Park before the busy summer days.

Start Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Magnuson’s Education Pavilion; enter at NE 65th St, drive east to boat launch parking lot
Contact: Lynn Ferguson, Chair, 206-524-8713, e-mail: lynnferg@stanfordalumni.org