Eligibility Requirements

STUDENT ENROLLMENT and TEAM COMPOSITION

GENERAL BUSINESS CATEGORY

Teams may include both JHU students and non-JHU affiliates, however, at least one team member must meet BOTH of the following requirements:

1. be a current part-time, full-time or Postdoctoral student of any of the nine divisions of Johns Hopkins University during the current academic year..

2. be a member of the venture's startup management team.

 

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CATEGORY

Teams may include undergraduate students and non-student affiliates, at least one team member must meet BOTH of the following requirements:

1. be a current part-time or full-time undergraduate student in a degree program.

2. be a member of the venture's startup management team.

 

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AND LIFE SCIENCES CATEGORY - UNDERGRADUATE TRACK

Teams may include undergraduate students and non-student affiliates, at least one team member must meet BOTH of the following requirements:

1. be a current part-time or full-time undergraduate student in a degree program.

2. be a member of the venture's startup management team.

Please note, that if any team member is a graduate student or Postdoctoral student, that team would be required to compete in the GRADUATE TRACK

 

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AND LIFE SCIENCES CATEGORY - GRADUATE TRACK

Teams may include undergraduate students and non-student affiliates, at least one team member must meet BOTH of the following requirements:

1. be a current part-time or full-time Graduate student in a degree program.

2. be a member of the venture's startup management team.

 

While non-student affiliates may be part of a team, the student member(s) must be the primary presenter(s) for the Final Presentation and Video Pitch. Other team members may participate during the Q&A portion of the Final Presentaiton Round.

 

TEAM SIZE

Teams may be any size but must include atleast one student that meets the requirements outlined for Student Enrollment and Team Composition.

PARTICIPATION

Non-students may be members of the venture’s management team and may participate in planning the venture.  Non-student team members are welcome to participate in all rounds of the Business Plan Competition. Faculty advisors or other team mentors are encouraged to attend, but cannot participate in the Final Presentation Round.

MULTIPLE ENTRIES

Teams may submit an unlimited number of entries within one or more categories. If teams submit entries in more than one category, they must ensure that at least one eligible student team member will be available to participate in the Final Presentation Round in each category. The Final Presentations will occur simultaneously.

OUTSIDE FUNDING

All ventures must be seeking outside equity capital (typically early stage venture investment or early stage angel investment).  Except in the case of teams entering the Social Ventures Track, all ventures must be “for profit” entities.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

The competition is for student created and managed ventures, including new ventures launched thorugh the licensing of university technology.  Students are expected to: 

(1) be the driving force behind the new venture, 
(2) have played the primary role in developing the business plan, 
(3) have key management roles in the venture, and 
(4) own significant equity in the venture.

NATURE OF VENTURES

The competition is for new, independent ventures in the seed, start-up, or early growth stages.  Generally excluded are the following: buy-outs, expansions of existing companies, real estate syndications, tax shelters, franchises, licensing agreements for distribution in a different geographical area, and spin-outs from existing corporations.  Licensing technologies from universities or research labs is encouraged, assuming they have not been commercialized previously. 

PRIOR ACTIVITY

Teams that have placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in past Johns Hopkins University Business Plan Competitions are not eligible to compete again for the same concept.

VENTURE STATUS

Ventures must be pre-profit and have less than $10,000 in outside investment funding as of August, 2014.  Ventures that have raised equity capital from sources other than the members of the student team or their friends and families before the current academic year, i.e., before August, 2014 that exceeds $10,000, are excluded.  However, both student and other team members may have worked on an idea or new technology in previous academic years or in the case of the student team members even prior to entering Johns Hopkins University, provided that their venture had no revenues and raised no outside equity capital prior to the current academic year.

ATTENDANCE

The BPC Final Presentations will take place on Friday, May 1, 2015 in Hodson Hall on the Homewood campus. Entrants should arrive between 12:00 pm. and 12:30 p.m. to register and report to their assigned competition room. The competition will start promptly at 1:00 pm. Teams should plan to stay in their competition room for the duration of the event. Winners will be announced at the Dinner and Awards Ceremony immediately following the Final Presentations in the Glass Pavilion. The Dinner and Awards Ceremony is scheduled from 5:00 pm.-7:00 pm.

REQUIRED FORMS

Finalists are required to complete the Team Prize Distribution Form. All team members are required to submit a Vendor Setup Form. If the venture has been incorporated and has received an EIN, one form may be filled out if the team wishes for the prize monies to be directed to the business rather than the individual team members.  Members who are not Johns Hopkins University students must also submit an individual Form W-9 or W-8 EC and Photo Release Waiver. No prizes will be awarded without the necessary forms on file with the Center for Leadership Education.