Rhode Island Business Plan Competition Announces 2012 Competition
Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee to Kick Off Year's Events on Oct. 26
PROVIDENCE – (Oct. 3, 2011) – The Rhode Island Business Plan Competition, New England’s leading community supported business plan competition, today announced its 2012 competition, which will culminate next May with the awarding of prizes expected to exceed $200,000.
At the same time, it announced that Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee will help launch this year’s competition at a Kick-Off on Wednesday, Oct. 26, the first of a series of events and workshops held to help people learn about launching a business.
The Kick-Off, which is free to the public, will be held 5 – 6:30 p.m. at the Rhode Island Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Providence. Pre-registration is required and may be completed online at www.ri-bizplan.com.
In addition to remarks by the governor, winners from last year’s competition will speak at the Kick-Off, sharing their experiences and insights on what it takes to win. Winners and finalists in the 2011 Rhode Island Business Plan Competition took home prizes value at more than $250,000.
Competition Co-Chair Larry Davidson, principal with the Providence-based accounting firm of Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co., Ltd., said, “Start-up companies are vital to the future growth of Rhode Island, and we’re seeing more and more established companies reaching out through the Business Plan Competition to support the next generation of entrepreneurs. We’re looking forward to another great year.”
Added Co-Chair David Mitchell, dean of the College of Business at Johnson and Wales University, “Many factors favor Rhode Island as the start-up state for new businesses, including a thriving network of entities, like the Business Plan Competition, focused on helping entrepreneurs, as well as access to a strong talent pool, connections to investors throughout the Northeast, and a good quality of life.”
The competition, which is free and open to all, is organized along two tracks, an Entrepreneur Track for those age 18 or over, whether or not they already have started a business, and an optional Student Track for students enrolled in college or graduate school.
Sponsors of the 2012 Competition
Lead sponsors of the 2012 competition are Johnson & Wales University, the Providence Journal Charitable Foundation, and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, along with Embolden, Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP, and Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co., Ltd.
Also supporting the competition are: AM 790, Bryant University, Business Development Company, Freedom National Bank, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, RI Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Slater Technology Fund, and Ximedica.
About the Competition
Established in 2000, the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition has become an important element of the Rhode Island entrepreneurial landscape. To date, it has awarded more than $1 million in prizes to competitors developing companies across many industries.
In addition to awarding prizes, the competition hosts educational events in the months leading up to the application deadline in early April. They include writing, financial planning, and presentation skills workshops. In addition, the competition hosts the annual Rhode Island Elevator Pitch Contest in early December, in which participants have 90 seconds to make a presentation to a panel of judges, who then provide constructive feedback and award cash prizes.
Complete competition information, including rules, application procedures, guidelines, and business plan resources, is available at www.ri-bizplan.com.