Burton D. Morgan Business Plan Competition

Judging Criteria

Executive Summaries, Business Plans, and Presentations will be evaluated on the criteria of commercial viability, technical viability, financial viability, and management team viability.

Commercial viability includes potential need for the product/service, addressable market size, market growth, competitors, and competitive advantage.

Technical viability includes the unique features of the product/service, technological feasibility, and intellectual property positions.

Financial viability includes business model, profit potential, and capital required.

During the Presentation phase of the Competition, the criteria also will include quality and persuasiveness of the oral presentation.

Entries that describe exciting technological breakthroughs but fail to show a clear path to commercialization will not fare well in the competition. Likewise, winners will not be chosen based solely on the potential size or profitability of the projected enterprise, but rather on how well the team has prepared its business plan, described the business model, explained the implementation, and presented the concept during the live presentation.

Judges will use evaluation forms to guide their decisions, however, the goal of the judging panel is to arrive at a consensus as to which venture they would most likely fund if they were an investment group. Ultimately, the winning team is the team which convinces them to invest in their idea.

Judging Panel

Judges comprising the judging panel will be drawn from different functional and industry areas to provide a representative balance of business and technical expertise. As such, the judging panel will include individuals with deep research and technical expertise in various areas of specialty on which to evaluate a concept on its technical merits and product development potential. The judging panel also will include individuals from venture capital and private equity firms, accounting and law firms, and others involved in the business entity creation. All judges will have meaningful experience in, or exposure to, the early-stage technology development process and understand the research, development, and business-formation challenges faced by different types of businesses.

Judges will provide team feedback and often advise teams on possible funding sources and strategic partners.