Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge Now Accepting Applications for Inaugural Business Pitch Competition

Note to Reporters: A Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge logo is available with this release at news.colostate.edu

The Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge, the richest annual business pitch competition in Colorado, announced today that it is now accepting applications from collegiate entrepreneurs, startups seeking capital, and existing businesses seeking expansion capital to compete for a grand prize package of $250,000 in funding, intensive strategy and operations support, and a 12-month business mentoring program.

The Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge is a celebration of innovation, leadership development, and job creation presented by Blue Ocean Enterprises and the Colorado State University College of Business. The competition will be a transformational opportunity for competitors to accelerate their businesses with entrepreneurship experts and advisers guiding them.

Competitors may learn more and submit their applications at www.blueoceanchallenge.com.

The competition features two tracks:
• Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge, open to startups and established companies in any industry from anywhere in the world. Applicants in this track must be operating for a minimum of one year, be based in the United States, and be generating revenue or have raised a minimum of $100,000 in capital for research and development, and
• Blue Ocean Enterprises Collegiate Challenge, open to active undergraduate or graduate student entrepreneurs attending any university or college in Colorado.

A panel of distinguished judges from CSU’s College of Business, Blue Ocean Enterprises, and the national business community will select finalists from qualified applications in each track to participate in a three-month business coaching and pitch consultation program leading up to the main event on May 24, 2014.

The winner of the Blue Ocean Enterprises Collegiate Challenge, to be announced in Fort Collins on May 2, 2014, will receive $20,000 in startup funding and compete in the main competition. The grand prize winner may receive additional capital from Blue Ocean Holdings, an affiliate of Blue Ocean Enterprises, which has a proven model for building businesses and growing young companies in the Northern Colorado region.
The deadline to apply for the Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge (both tracks) is Dec. 15, 2013.

Additional information for applicants, potential sponsors, and interested volunteers is available at www.blueoceanchallenge.com.

About the Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge
The Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge is the richest annual business pitch competition in Colorado, as measured by its grand prize of $250,000. Presented by the Colorado State University College of Business and Blue Ocean Enterprises, the competition is a celebration of innovation, leadership development, and job creation. The Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge is open to collegiate entrepreneurs throughout Colorado, startups, and existing companies seeking funding and business mentoring. More information is available at www.blueoceanchallenge.com.

About Blue Ocean
Headquartered in Fort Collins, Colo., Blue Ocean Enterprises was established in 2011 by OtterBox Founder and Chairman Curt Richardson and his wife, Nancy Richardson, to provide business mentoring, accounting, legal, information technology, real estate, and human relations services to its affiliated companies.

Blue Ocean Holdings LLC was established in 2011 by the Richardsons as an investment management company that commits capital to promising businesses and strategically invests in commercial real estate. Blue Ocean Holdings currently invests in more than a dozen Fort Collins-area businesses and owns more than 400,000 square feet of commercial property. Visit www.blueocean-inc.com for more information.

About Colorado State University
Founded in 1870 as the Colorado Agricultural College, Colorado State University is now among the nation’s leading research universities. Located in Fort Collins, CSU currently enrolls about 22,565 undergraduate students, 3,900 graduate students and 540 Professional Veterinary Medicine students, and has more than 1,600 faculty members working in eight colleges.

The College of Business is home to one of the largest undergraduate majors on Colorado State’s campus, with more than 3,800 students enrolled in six business concentrations. Through a strong cross-campus collaborative initiative, the Institute for Entrepreneurship is working to help foster an entrepreneurial environment in every college. More information is available at www.colostate.edu.

Contacts:
Colorado State University

Charisse Bowen, Director
Institute for Entrepreneurship at Colorado State University
970-491-2737
charisse.bowen@business.colostate.edu

Blue Ocean Enterprises
Bridget Richards
303-674-1426
Bridget@artemisconsultinggroup.com

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