First Florida Collegiate Business Plan Competition Will Take Place in October

October 9, 2006 - The Center for Entrepreneurship at the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business has partnered with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and five other Florida institutions to host the first ever Florida Collegiate Business Plan Competition.

The competition will be held October 27 and 28 at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando and is sponsored by Enterprise Florida, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, and the Florida Venture Forum. Students currently enrolled in a full-time or part-time curriculum at more than 30 Florida colleges and universities were invited to submit entries.

Representatives from Florida International University, Rollins College, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Miami, University of South Florida and University of Tampa formed the inaugural event organizing committee. "The Florida Collegiate Business Plan Competition is a first step toward building relationships and professional networks among aspiring entrepreneurs, business leaders, and champions of entrepreneurship on Florida's campuses" said Cameron Ford, Founding Director of UCF's CEI.

Entries will be judged in two separate categories, Investment Intensive Plans that likely require venture capital investment, and Limited Investment Plans that could be launched based on existing revenue, personal funds, loans, or angel investments. The winner in the Investment Intensive category will present the winning plan to investors at the 2007 Florida Venture Forum in Boca Raton in February. The Florida Venture Forum seeks to help ensure the success of entrepreneurial ventures by offering expert counsel, educational advice and managerial assistance.

"The state of Florida consistently ranks as one of the most dynamic environments for new venture creation," said Thomas Kruczek, executive director of the Rollins College Center for Entrepreneurship. "This competition will help ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in these aspiring business leaders."

For more information about the competition please visit the event website at www.cei.ucf.edu/competitions/flcollegiate.html.