Rules of the Competition

Last Modified: Tue Nov 03 08:37:06 PST 2009

Note: The Executive Committee ("EC") of the U.C. Berkeley Business Plan Competition ("BPC") reserves the right to update these rules at any time. Every attempt will be made to notify participants of any modification to this document; however, it is ultimately the responsibility of BPC participants to stay current with BPC Rules and Regulations as outlined in the Rules and Regulations section of the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition website.

  1. General Requirements

Each team must meet the following requirements in order to compete in the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition.

    1. Team
      1. At least one team member must be a current student, faculty, staff or an alumnus/a of either the University of California at Berkeley or the University of California at San Francisco.
      2. BPC participants may join more than one team.
      3. No EC members may enter the BPC.
      4. One person on the team must be designated as the team lead at the time of the Executive Summary submission and thus is authorized to make all decisions on behalf of the team.
    2. Business Plan
      1. The proposed business should be fundable.
      2. The proposed business plan should not be in violation of any intellectual property rights.
      3. Teams or team members that have received any form of venture capital financing for their BPC business plan or a likeness thereof may not participate in the competition.
        1. Teams with seed financing from non-venture capital sources totaling less than $250,000 may compete.
        2. Any team that receives seed financing from non-venture capital sources totaling more than $250,000 at any time prior to or during the competition will be disqualified.
        3. The amount and source of secured capital arrangements should be clearly identified in the team's executive summary.
      1. Competition participants are not to contact BPC judges from any round and judges are not to contact any BPC participants during the course of the Competition.
    3. Documents
      1. Margins must not be smaller than 3/4 of an inch on any side.
      2. Document text must be single-spaced.

     

  1. Tracks

Teams will be asked to select the most appropriate track for their business plan. However, the BPC reserves the right to reclassify submissions if an alternate track is deemed more appropriate. The 2010 Competition will be judged in four tracks:

  1. IT and Web: Ideas focused on meeting diverse consumer and enterprise needs through web-based solutions, productivity tools, mobile devices, hardware and software.
  2. Life Sciences: Ideas related to medical devices, instrumentation, biotechnology, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
  3. Energy and Resources: Ideas focused on the next generation of energy-related products or services.
  4. Products and Services: Ideas focused on meeting diverse non-technical consumer and business needs.

     

  1. Prizes
    1. Panels of venture capitalists will select the best business plans from those submitted to BPC.  Prizes will be awarded to the 1st and 2nd place teams in each of the four tracks outlined above during the Semi-Finals Private Presentations on Wednesday, April 28, 2010. 
    2. First place track winners (“finalists”) will move on to compete in the Final Public Presentation on Thursday, April 29, 2010, where the Grand Prize winner will be determined by a panel of venture capitalists.
    3. All finalists will also be eligible for a People’s Choice Award, which will be presented to the team that garners the most audience votes in the Final Public Presentation on Thursday, April 29, 2010. It is possible for one team to win the People's Choice Award and the Grand Prize.
    4. All Semi-Finalist teams that do not advance to the Final Round will be eligible to compete on Thursday, April 29, 2010 for an Elevator Pitch Award.  The Elevator Pitch Award will be presented to the team that garners the most audience votes in the Final Public Elevator Pitch Presentation.  Prize amounts are outlined on the “Prizes” tab of the BPC website.

     

  1. Executive Summary Round
    1. Each team is required to submit a first-round package to the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition that meets all of the requirements listed below. Teams that submit incomplete proposals will be disqualified automatically. The first-round package must be submitted via younoodle (select “Submit an entry” from the menu options on the right of the page) by 11:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2010. Absolutely no late documents will be accepted. Follow these steps for completing the first-round requirements.
      1. Download the “Executive Summary Submission Package” file. The following five steps must be taken to complete your submission:  
        1. Fill out Registration Page
        2. Fill out Mentor Request Form (if your team is selected to proceed to the semi-final round and would like to be matched with a mentor)  
        3. Download the Non-Disclosure Agreement ("NDA") form. Each team member must sign, scan, and insert the forms as images into the completed executive summary submission file.
        4. Add executive summary, which must not exceed three pages in length.
        5. Add team member resumes (each team member’s resume must not exceed two pages in length).
        6. Add optional three-minute video which briefly introduces each team member and business plan idea to the judges. 
      2. Format all six items above into one Microsoft Word document. Use the following file name: “TeamName_firstround.doc" (e.g.,"ABCteam_firstround.doc")
      3. Submit the document via younoodle. From the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition page on younoodle, click the green “Submit an entry” button on the right-hand side. You will be taken to a submission page where you will be asked for information about your entry and then prompted to upload your submission document. YOU MUST FILL OUT ALL THE FIELDS:
        1. Startup Name
        2. Type: select ‘Competition Entry’
        3. Status: select ‘Active’
        4. Public one-liner: One sentence describing what your startup/entry does
        5. Select track: Choose the category that best describes the industry in which your startup/entry competes
        6. Guidelines: Confirm that you have read and will follow the rules
    1. Each first-round submission will be reviewed and judged according to the following criteria:
      1. Is the business fundable?
      2. Quality of product(s), service(s) and/or solution(s)
      3. Market opportunities and competition
      4. Team qualifications
      5. Overall attractiveness of the venture
    2. No more than 50 teams will be invited by email or telephone to compete in the Semi-final Round.  Teams selected to move on to the Semi-Final Round will be notified by Wednesday, February 10th.

     

  1. Draft Business Plan Development & Refinement
    1. All Semi-Final Round teams that have requested a mentor are required to submit a draft business plan that meets the requirements listed below.  Each team is required to prepare and submit the draft business plan file to Kirsten Berzon at berzon@haas.berkeley.edu by 5:00 PM ON MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2010.  The PBC will send the draft business plans to each team’s designated mentor for feedback that should be considered and incorporated, as deemed appropriate by the team, prior to the Semi-Final Round. Follow these steps for completing the draft business plan requirements.
      1. The draft business plan should:
        1. Represent an expansion of concepts outlined in the executive summary
        2. Outline relevant financial projections, including pro forma cash flow and budget analysis
        3. Describe relevant working models or prototypes
        4. Not exceed 30 pages in length, inclusive of appendices and attachments
      2. Following submission of the draft business plan, each team should independently coordinate a feedback session with their designated mentor

       

  2.  Semi-Final Round
    1. The business plan for this round should be a refined version of the initial draft submitted and incorporate the feedback gained through mentor discussions.
    2. Each team is required to submit a semi-final round package to BPC that meets all of the requirements listed below.  Should semi-finalist teams advance to the Final Round, modifications to materials will not be allowed. Teams that submit incomplete packages will automatically be disqualified. The semi-final round package must be submitted via younoodle AND delivered to the Lester Center (Room F450 at the Haas School of Business) by 5:00 PM ON MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010. Absolutely no late documents will be accepted. Follow these steps for completing the semi-final round package requirements.
      1. Prepare the semi-final round package materials:
        1. One revised executive summary, which must not exceed three pages in length
        2. One revised business plan, inclusive of appendices and attachments- should not exceed 30 pages in length
        3. Team member resumes, wherein each individual's resume must not exceed two pages in length
      1. Format the executive summary, business plan, and resumes into one Microsoft Word document. Use the following file name: "TeamName_semi-finalround.doc" (e.g., "ABCteam_semifinalround.doc")
      2. Submit the document via younoodle.
      3. Deliver hard-copy documents to the Lester Center
        1. All hard-copy materials must be submitted in an envelope addressed to "UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition, Semi-final Round." Include the team lead name and contact information on the package.
        2. The envelope must include ten 3-hole punched booklets of the semi-final round package. Each booklet must contain the executive summary, business plan, and resumes.
        3. DO NOT staple or bind the documents. Use only paper clips or binder clips.
        4. Be sure to obtain a receipt from the Lester Center noting the date and time of delivery and the team name.
        5. No application materials or copies of materials will be returned to the applicant.
    3. Each team must submit a semi-final round presentation document by 9:00 AM ON MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2010 for the private semi-final round of judging, which will take place on Wednesday, April 28, 2010. All teams should use the following naming conventions for the private presentation file: “TeamName_semifinal_privatepresentation.ppt”


    Semi-finalist teams who win first place in their respective tracks and advance to the public finals on Thursday, April 29, 2010 are required to submit a second presentation for use at the public finals. The public presentation should omit any information your team considers proprietary or confidential. Teams advancing to the public finals will be notified at a reception on the evening of Wednesday April 28, 2010. The public finals presentation is due by NOON ON THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2010. No late submissions will be accepted and no changes can be made to the presentation after it is submitted. Should a team fail to submit a public presentation file by the specified time, the team’s previously submitted semi-final round presentation will be used. All teams should use the following naming convention for the public presentation file: “TeamName_semifinal_publicpresentation.ppt”

    1. Each team that qualifies for the Semi-Final round is required to present its business plan to a panel of judges consisting primarily of senior venture capitalists. Presentations will last 15 minutes followed by 10 minutes of Q&A from the judges.
    2. Each Semi-final round submission will be reviewed and judged according to:
      1. Is the business fundable?
      2. Quality of product(s), service(s) and/or solution(s)
      3. Market opportunities and competition
      4. Team qualifications
      5. Overall attractiveness of the venture
    3. No more than one winner per track will be invited to compete for the Grand Prize in the Public Finals on Thursday, April 29th.

     

  1. Final Round
    1. Teams advancing to the finals will not be allowed to modify and resubmit their business plan between the Semi-Final and Final Rounds. 
    2. Each team selected to compete for the Grand Prize is required to present its business plan to a panel of judges consisting primarily of senior venture capitalists on Thursday, April 29th.  In this final round of competition, the general public will also be in attendance to evaluate final presentations and vote for the “People’s Choice” Award.
    3. Each final-round submission will be reviewed and judged according to:
      1. Is the business fundable?
      2. Quality of product(s), service(s) and/or solution(s)
      3. Market opportunities and competition
      4. Team qualifications
      5. Overall attractiveness of the venture