CINCINNATI, OH -- 02/27/08 --
Are you smarter than a 17th Grader? Or teams
of fired-up MBA college students competing for $20,000 in cash prizes and
an automatic bid to the 2008 MOOT Super Bowl of World Business Plan
Competition with over $100,000 in total prizes at stake?
Cincom
Systems, one of the world's largest independent software companies, and
celebrating its 40th year of operations, will host and sponsor the 2008
Annual University of Cincinnati (UC) Spirit of Enterprise MBA Business Plan
Competition, on Thursday, February 28 and Friday, February 29, 2008.
Critical Issues Facing the World
Health care, the energy crisis, education, global warming and tapping the
power of nanotechnology are some of the most critical issues facing the
world. The teams competing in the UC Spirit of Enterprise competition have
entrepreneurial ideas to help face and overcome these challenges.
Battle of Ideas
The UC Spirit of Enterprise MBA Business Plan Competition is a battle of
ideas as well as an invitational forum for the next generation of
entrepreneurs to "road test" their new business-venture concepts --
concepts and ideas that may have a powerful effect on business and the
world.
Show Me the Money
To win the battle, the ideas have to be communicated in a powerful,
persuasive and moving way to an esteemed panel of bankers, venture
capitalists and business leaders. The most innovative and commercially
viable business plans will be rewarded with cash prizes of up to $20,000.
Who Is Competing?
-- Indiana University
-- Kennesaw State University
-- Loyola Marymount University
-- University of Arkansas
-- University of Cincinnati
-- University of Georgia
-- University of Illinois - Chicago
-- University of Louisville
-- University of Manitoba
-- University of Michigan
-- University of Oregon
-- University of Wisconsin
-- Wake Forest University
-- Washington University - St. Louis
What Type of Business Concepts?
-- Nanotechnology
-- Clean coal energy
-- Heart-muscle,
tissue-regeneration technology
-- Safety software for utility
companies
-- Integrated e-commerce and
social networking
-- Patient monitoring systems
-- Military inventory tracking
systems
-- Luxury construction stone products
for the home
-- Medical tourism
-- Loans for Chinese MBA students
-- Medical device development
specializing in the orthopedic
market
-- Lighted motorcycle riding apparel
-- Patient monitoring systems
-- 3-D body scanners
How Does It Work?
The best business-venture plans are identified through a competition format
consisting of three intense and challenging preliminary rounds -- very much
like the NCAA Basketball Tournament. At the conclusion of the preliminary
round, the top four business plans will be elected to advance to the final
round's single track, where they will again have 25 minutes to sell their
venture -- this time to a new panel of judges.
Can You Think on Your Seat?
Those teams not chosen for the final championship round will move on to the
consolation track: the UC Taxi/Limo Round. Competing teams will be given an
actual 10-minute taxi/limo ride, with a judge/potential investor riding
with the team.
No PowerPoint Allowed!
During each taxi/limo ride, team members will be given the opportunity to
make their pitch to a potential investor. Unlike the preliminary and
championship rounds, team members will not be permitted to use PowerPoint
presentations, visual aids or computer technology.
Rewards
The most innovative and commercially viable business plans will be rewarded
with cash prizes of up to $20,000. Teams receiving financial rewards will
include the top four teams recognized during the final championship round
(first place $10,000 Cincom Spirit of Enterprise Champion Award; first
runner-up $3,500 Spirit Award; second runner-up $2,000 Queen City Angels
First Fund Award; and third runner-up $500 Excellence Award). In addition,
the top team in the Taxi/Limo Round and the recipient of the Best
Technology Plan will receive cash prizes.
The Cincom Spirit of Enterprise Grand Prize
The $10,000 Cincom Spirit of Enterprise Champion prize, the first-place
recipient, will be awarded an automatic bid to the 2008 MOOT Corp.
Competition, held at the University of Texas, Austin.
Learn from Real-World Entrepreneurial Success Stories
"Cincom Systems' World Headquarters is a great venue in which to compete.
It gives students a chance to learn about global business from one of the
all-time great entrepreneurial success stories in the software industry,
CEO Tom Nies," said Dr. Charles Matthews, Director of the University of
Cincinnati Center for Entrepreneurship Education & Research.
Aside from monetary awards, participants will receive valuable practice in
competing against teams from top universities, as well as the invaluable
business-plan assessments and critiques provided by the panel of judges.
About the UC Center for Entrepreneurship Education and Research (E-Center)
Founded in 1997 by Dr. Charles H. Matthews, the E-Center's vision and
mission is to provide a state-of-the-art entrepreneurship curriculum and
research base not only for potential student entrepreneurs and scholars,
but also for people in entrepreneurial and family-owned businesses on a
daily basis. The University of Cincinnati has been ranked as one of the top
50 programs for entrepreneurship in the U.S. by Success magazine, and one
of the top regional programs in the U.S by Entrepreneur Magazine and The
Princeton Review's 4th Annual Top Entrepreneurial Colleges.
About Cincom
Cincom develops, delivers and supports innovative software and services to
simplify complex business processes. For 40 years, Cincom has enabled thousands of clients worldwide to increase
revenue, control cost, minimize risk and achieve rapid ROI.
Cincom serves clients on six continents including Citibank, Boeing,
Ericsson, Penn State University, Milacron, Siemens and Trane. For more
information about Cincom's products and services, contact Cincom at
1-800-2CINCOM (USA only), send an e-mail to info@cincom.com, or visit the
company's website at www.cincom.com.
Cincom and the Quadrant Logo are registered trademarks of Cincom Systems,
Inc. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies. ©2008
Cincom Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Embedded Video Available
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=701818
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=701823
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=701826
Embedded Video Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=368045
Media Contact:
Steve Kayser
Public Relations
Cincom Systems, Inc.
513.612.2348
Email Contact
