Startup Showcase
About
Startup Showcase, a student business startup competition, is sponsored by the George R. and Martha Means Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Illinois State University. Any ISU student may enter. The event is designed to link contestants to support resources and help them develop connections with potential investors, mentors, and the larger business community. Members of the public, as well as non-participating students and faculty members, are welcome to attend the event. While there is no fee to attend, registration is required.
Who Should Enter?
Any student with a business idea should consider entering. It is not necessary to have a fully-developed business plan, just the ability to answer a few basic questions in the application. The application deadline is Friday, October 20. Awards include financial support and in-kind professional services. Past winners include Packback Books (featured on Shark Tank), Open Source Classroom, BizzBaits, and Bow Lap Strap. Don’t know where to start? Coaching is available for applicants. Contact Dr. Mark Hoelscher or Dr. Terry Noel
Eligibility Requirements
- All competitors must be at least 18 years of age on the day of the competition.
- Startup Showcase is open to any full or part-time student currently enrolled in a degree program at Illinois State University.
- Students who graduate in May are eligible to compete within the same calendar year.
- Entrants may be individuals or teams. Non-students may be members of the business’s advisory board or management, but the competing team must be comprised solely of students meeting the eligibility requirements above.
- Student members of the founding team must hold, in aggregate, a majority ownership stake in the company.
- Individuals may be a member of only one team.
- Teams are limited to one application.
- The business may not have received more than $20,000 in outside investment prior to the day of the competition.
- The spirit of this competition is to support new, independent, seed-stage firms. To that end, the following business types are not eligible:
- Purchases of franchises (starting a franchise is acceptable)
- Spin-offs of existing firms
- Purchase of existing firms
- Purchase of equity in existing firms
- Any other business type deemed by the event organizers to be inconsistent with the event's mission
General Rules
Disqualification. The Means Center reserves the right to disqualify, at its sole discretion, any individual or team for any reason. Reasons for disqualification may include, but are not limited to: plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty, infringement or misappropriation of the intellectual property of others, failure to comply with competition rules and requirements, and violation of established laws and regulations.
Confidentiality. Startup Showcase is a public forum and as such, we cannot guarantee the confidentiality of any application or presentation material. No individual associated with the event will sign any non-disclosure agreement and no promises of any kind concerning confidentiality are made by the Means Center or Illinois State University.
No Guarantees . No guarantees of funding are expressed or implied. Neither the Means Center, Illinois State University, nor any person or group associated with this event make any claim as to the reliability of information presented by contestants or their representatives.
Use of Materials. The Means Center and Illinois State University may, at their sole discretion, use any materials submitted to the competition for publicity or for internal purposes. Application materials will not be returned to participants.
Presentation. The person/s making the competition presentation must be a full or part-time student currently enrolled in a degree program at Illinois State University.
For more information contact:
Dr. Mark Hoelscher, Director
College of Business
Means Center for Entrepreneurship
Campus Box 5580
Normal, Illinois 61790-5580
mlhoels@illinoisstate.edu
(309) 438-5985
