Colorado State College of Business Will Host 15 Universities from Around the Nation for Venture Adventure April 23-24

The Center for Entrepreneurship at Colorado State University’s College of Business will host 15 universities from around the nation for the fourth annual Venture Adventure, a two-day business plan competition April 23-24.

Fifteen teams from business schools from across the country will compete for a cash prize of $22,000. Schools include Carnegie Mellon University, College of William and Mary, Kelly School at Indiana University, Miami University of Ohio, San Diego State University, Syracuse University, University of Arizona, University of Houston, University of Northern Colorado, Frostburg State University, Babson College, University of Nebraska, University of Wyoming, University of Portland and Colorado State University.

The Venture Adventure competition gives undergraduate students the opportunity to present their ideas and plans for realistic new ventures to a panel of judges made up of entrepreneurs and investors. Teams receive valuable feedback from a judging panel that offers them insights into real-world entrepreneurial challenges and allows them to focus on sharpening their business planning and presentation skills.

Each team will submit a complete business plan to judges who will review the plans prior to the competition and score them based on the executive summary, company overview, product or service, market analysis, management team, operating strategies, financials and viability. Based on the written plan and first-round presentations, four teams will be selected for the finals on April 24.

The winners will be announced at an awards lunch at noon on April 24 at the University Park Holiday Inn in Fort Collins, with a special presentation by keynote speaker Jan Horsfall, Colorado State alumnus, a founder of Lycos and chief executive officer of Gelazzi, a new restaurant concept built around Italian Gelato. Horsfall also founded Gemini Voice Solutions Inc. and was vice president of consumer markets for The Valvoline Company.

"This event is the perfect intersection of the three parts of our mission: entrepreneurial learning, venture start-up and building bridges to the venture community," said Hunt Lambert, director of Colorado State’s Entrepreneurship Center. "The students will get real-life experience selling their plans and competing for limited resources. Last year, one plan even received funding from one of the judges."

The College of Business’ Entrepreneurship Center focuses on creating real-world learning experiences for students who aspire to become entrepreneurs through academic programs, entrepreneurial mentoring and launching businesses. The Center hosts programs like the Great Entrepreneur Speakers Series, the Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Venture Adventure and Springboard for University Entrepreneurs, and supports other programs like the Northern Idea Lab. The Center works on Colorado State commercialization projects in cooperation with the technology transfer office and the Vice President of Research and Information Technology.

For more information, contact Lambert or Venture Adventure manager, Erica Trout, at (970) 491-6876 or visit www.biz.colostate.edu/ecenter.

-30-