West Liberty University is hosting the semi-final round of the West Virginia Business Plan Competition on Nov. 13. It is the first time that the annual entrepreneurial contest has visited the Hilltop.
The competition, which runs throughout the collegiate academic year, is hosted by West Virginia University’s College of Business and Economics through the BrickStreet Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
“I have been on the business plan Oversight Committee for 10 years and am very excited to have the semi-finals held here at West Liberty University this year. We welcome the students, judges, speakers and parents who are visiting our campus,” said Dr. Carrie White, director of the WLU Center for Entrepreneurship.
A total of 30 semi-finalists, as well as judges, speakers and parents will be a part of the idea competition. The semi-finalists will be pitching their business ideas to 10 judges, similar to a “speed dating” format beginning at 10 a.m. in the Gary E. West College of Business.
At 12:15 p.m., lunch will begin and guests will be welcomed to the Hilltop by Interim President Dr. John P. McCullough. Afterwards they will hear from keynote speaker Les DeFelice, a WLU alumnus, businessman and member of WLU’s Board of Governors. After that the contestants will give their two-minute elevator pitches to the entire group. The lunch will be held in the College Union ballroom.
Business honorary Phi Beta Lambda will be helping Dr. White with the West Virginia Business Plan Competition.
Competition categories are:
• Hospitality and Tourism
• Lifestyle and Innovation
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
The top five contestants from each category will advance to the finals to be held Morgantown in April 2016. The noon session of this final contest is open to the public. Three grand prize packages consisting of $10,000 cash, accounting, legal, and virtual or physical incubator space are awarded to the top team in each category.
The West Virginia Collegiate Business Plan Competition gives college students around the state the opportunity to make a business idea come to life with the support of state institutions of higher education and seasoned business professionals from around the country. Its ultimate goal is to provide college students with everything they need to create a viable start-up company in West Virginia.
For complete information on the business plan completion, including rules and previous winners, please visit its webpage at www.be.wvu.edu/bpc.
For more information on WLU’s Gary E. West College of Business, please call 304-336-8159.
