Students compete for business plan awards

Prizes from $1,000 to $10,000 and potential business success await the winners in the G. Steven Burrill Technology Business Plan Competition to be held Friday, April 27, at the university.

Seven student teams who have put in months of independent work on their entries will present original business plans to a panel of experts as they compete for the cash awards.

The free public event will be held in 219 Fluno Center, 601 University Ave., 8 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Student business plan presentations will be 8-11 a.m.

Noted biotechnology executive G. Steven Burrill will give the keynote speech, 11-noon. Burrill, a 1966 alumnus of the business school, is CEO and founder of Burrill & Company, San Francisco, and an internationally recognized spokesman for the life sciences and high technology industries.

At 2:30 p.m., participants will hear an update from the winners of the 1999 and 2000 competitions. The awards presentation is from 2:40 to 3:15 p.m.

Organized by the UW Technology Enterprise Cooperative, the competition encourages student collaboration on technology-based start-up ventures. Each team includes students with science or engineering qualifications as well as students with business expertise.

Awards are given for business plans with the greatest commercial promise. Winners from previous competitions have patented or licensed their ideas, and several have incorporated them into money-making business ventures.

The first-place team will take home $10,000, second prize is $7,000, third is $4,000 and fourth place is $1,000. In addition to the business plan awards, the Tong Family Foundation is funding a companion award, the $2,500 Tong Prototype Prize for the competition’s best prototype. Peter and Janet Tong are UW alumni.

For more information, contact Maggie Tongue, (608) 265-6369, mtongue@engr.wisc.edu.