Global Social Venture Competition

2007 Rice University Business Plan Competition (3/22-24/07, Houston, TX)
The Rice Business Plan Competition is the largest and richest intercollegiate business plan competition in the world. This year 36 teams from top MBA programs will be selected to compete at the Rice Business Plan Competition on March 22-24, 2007 for over $300,000 in cash and prizes; including $100,000 investment, $100,000 in cash, and $100,000 in prizes.

For deadlines and additional information visit, http://www.alliance.rice.edu/alliance/RBPC.asp

Deadline: Friday, December 1

Do you have an incredible, new idea that could change your community, country, or world? Are you an entrepreneur who won’t rest until your idea has been brought to life? Or are you a leader who has recently started an organization to do just that? If so, apply for an Echoing Green Fellowship. The Echoing Green Fellowship provides up to $90,000 in funding for new, innovative organizations working to create social change. In particular, this year specifically they have additional funding for environmental projects. For more information about applying to the fellowship, please visit: http://www.echoinggreen.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=41.

Sustainable Business Plan Competition

Deadline: Friday, January 19, 2007

The William James Foundation is looking for individuals or teams that are starting for-profit businesses with a socially responsible/sustainable component. These businesses can be social enterprises (for-profit subsidiaries of not-for-profits), and they will accept plans that have been submitted to other competitions. At least one member of the team must be either a current student or recent graduate.  Executive summaries (3-5 pages) are due on January 19.  The top prize is a mix of seed money and professional services (e.g. 25 hours with a lawyer, 20 hours with an accountant, etc.)  Last year’s basket was worth more than $35,000.  For more information, please visit: http://www.williamjamesfoundation.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=579&parentID=478

Date: Friday, March 30, 2007

Location: General Motors Room, Horchow Hall, 55 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT

Contestant check-in: 1 p.m.
Presentations start: 2 p.m.
Reception: 4:30 p.m.
Judges’ announcements: 5 p.m.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Host

• Barry Nalebuff, Milton Steinbach Professor of Management

Judges

• Norah McVeigh, SOM ’90, Managing Director, Financial Services, Nonprofit Finance Fund
• Michael Havard, Vice President, Marketing, Newman’s Own
• Arjan Schütte, Associate Director, The Center for Financial Services Innovation, An Affiliate of ShoreBank Corporation

Teams

• EcoInsure (Yale)
• Feed Resource Recovery (Babson)
• Innovators in HOPE (Duke)
• PictureRx (Emory)
• Planting Empowerment (Northwestern, Thunderbird)