For the first time in the Middle East, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT), have partnered to launch a business plan competition for young entrepreneurs.
The CERT-Wharton “Entrepreneurial Planning and Innovation Competition (EPIC)” is open to all students from accredited academic institutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and all Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) alumni.
The top eight teams will share US $50,000 in cash prizes to jump start their businesses, with the winning team receiving US $20,000.
The CERT-Wharton EPIC business plan competition offers students a comprehensive, four-month platform to help them gain the entrepreneurial knowledge and expert feedback needed to launch their new business ideas.
CERT-Wharton EPIC helps teams develop their business plans in both a collaborative and competitive environment.
The competition is structured as follows:
- Teams need to submit an executive summary of their business plan. (Deadline: December 20th, 2009)
- These submissions are evaluated and up to 25 teams will be selected – known as the “Top 25”.
- These “Top 25” submissions will be further evaluated and the top eight teams will be selected to participate in the finals – known as the “Great Eight” finalists.
- The “Great Eight” finalists will prepare and submit a full business plan for evaluation.
- The “Great Eight” finalists will present a formal pitch to a panel of judges. Winners will then be selected.
For further information and to register, check out the official website: CERT-Wharton “Entrepreneurial Planning and Innovation Competition (EPIC)”