UCF Entrepreneurship Center Announces Inaugural Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition

Event will showcase Florida's Best Collegiate Business Venture Proposals

(September 10, 2006 - Orlando, FL)— The UCF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation announced that it will be a lead organizer for the inaugural Florida Collegiate Business Plan Competition. The competition will showcase top student proposals invited from over three dozen colleges and universities. The competition aims to build relationships and foster partnerships among the state’s collegiate entrepreneurship initiatives. The event will be held on October 27 and 28 at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando.

The competition will be divided into two tracks in order to allow for the most participation from a diverse group of student teams and projects. The investment intensive track will be for business plans that will likely require rounds of venture capital investment to succeed. The limited investment track will be for business plans that can be realized with smaller investments.

Approximately 40 universities and colleges throughout the state have been invited to submit business plans to enter the competition. Up to 16 submissions, eight per track, will be invited to compete at the event. The competition is grateful for the support of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Enterprise Florida, and the Florida Venture Forum. The Florida High Tech Corridor Council and Enterprise Florida have contributed $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. As an additional incentive, the Florida Venture Forum will invite the winner of the investment intensive track to pitch at their conference in Boca Raton in January.

“The Directors of several of the state’s most active collegiate entrepreneurship centers are pursuing mutually beneficial partnerships throughout the state that improve the quality, visibility and impact of our respective initiatives. We believe that by working cooperatively to share best practices and innovations we can further enhance the state’s reputation as an entrepreneurship “hot spot”. This competition is an initial step toward this ambitious goal,” said Dr. Cameron Ford, Director of the UCF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and event coordinator.

About CEI: The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) was formed as an initiative by the UCF College of Business Administration. The CEI offers training to those who create and lead new business ventures, by providing educational programs, research facilities, networking opportunities, business plan showcase events, and access to business thought leaders. The CEI efforts foster an expanding network of mutually beneficial university, business, and government partnerships that promote Central Florida’s economic development and quality of life. For more information please visit www.cei.ucf.edu.

 About UCF: The University of Central Florida is a public, multi-campus, metropolitan research university, dedicated to serving its surrounding communities with their diverse and expanding populations, technological corridors, and international partners. The mission of the university is to offer high-quality undergraduate and graduate education, student development, and continuing education; to conduct research and creative activities; and to provide services that enhance the intellectual, cultural, environmental, and economic development of the metropolitan region, address national and international issues in key areas, establish UCF as a major presence, and contribute to the global community.