Which Entrepreneurship Contest Can I Enter? EngenuitySC’s Ignite! Ideas Contest or USC’s Proving Ground?
October 13, 2014
COLUMBIA, SC – Global Entrepreneurship Week brings about two opportunities for ambitious entrepreneurs in the Midlands: EngenuitySC’s Ignite! Ideas Contest (deadline Oct. 24) and the University of South Carolina’s Proving Ground (deadline Oct. 17). Both events are multi-round, business pitch competitions that culminate in Shark Tank-like presentations to live audiences, awarding prize money for innovative ideas that revolve around driving economic growth or improving human welfare.
Who is eligible for EngenuitySC’s Ignite! 2014 Ideas Contest?
EngenuitySC’s Ignite! Ideas Contest is open to the following:
• All individuals (and organizations) living in the South Carolina Midlands (Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda and Sumter counties)
• Students who are also entering USC’s Proving Ground competition
• Sorry! Past Ideas Contest winners are not eligible to enter
There is only one winner for the Ignite! Ideas Contest; the Top 3 finalists will present their ideas at EngenuitySC’s Ignite! 2014 Celebration on November 19, 2014. The winner of the Ignite! Ideas Contest, chosen by a live audience of 600+ movers and shakers of the Midlands, will win $5,000 towards jumpstarting their idea from Wells Fargo Bank.
Instructions for applying to the Ignite! 2014 Ideas Contest:
Individuals and teams must fill out the entry form and submit a two-minute video explaining their idea and upload it online. The video should be submitted with a summary about the idea (about 250 words) and how the idea can start something new, exciting or innovative in the Midlands. The deadline to enter is October 24, 2014 at http://engenuitysc.com/ignite/ignite-ideas-contest.
Who is eligible for USC’s Proving Ground?
The University of South Carolina’s Proving Ground is open to individuals and teams of:
• Current USC students (graduate or undergraduate)
• USC Faculty
• USC staff
• USC alumni who have graduated in the past five years (since May 2009)
• You may enter Proving Ground and EngenuitySC’s Ignite! Ideas Contest if you are affiliated with USC in one of the above ways.
USC’s Proving Ground has three different award categories:
• Maxient Social Impact
• Avenir Discovery category
• Fluor Innovation category
Each category will have one winner. The two highest scoring plans which do not make the finals of the first three categories will face off for a chance to win the Fan Favorite Award for $3,000. The Fluor Innovation category is only open to undergraduate students at the University of South Carolina. All proposed concepts must be pre-revenue and cannot have raised outside capital.
Instructions to apply for USC’s Proving Ground:
Teams and individuals are required to submit a business plan for their concept and will go through three rounds of concept validation, market strategy validation, and the live pitch competition on November 18, 2014. The winners of the Maxient Social Impact, the Fluor Innovation, and the Avenir Discovery categories will receive $20,000 to start their business ventures. The winner of the SCRA Technology Ventures Fan Favorite category will be decided by a live audience, and will receive $3,000. The deadline for submissions is October 17, 2014 using the iStart web site at http://provingground2014.istart.org.
To learn more about Ignite!, visit http://www.engenuitysc.com/ignite and follow the #IgniteCAE hashtag and @EngenuitySC on Twitter or via Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/engenuitysc.
About EngenuitySC
Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., EngenuitySC is a public-private partnership focused on enhancing our region’s economic competitiveness and prosperity. Through collaboration with business, government, higher education and community leaders, EngenuitySC builds partnerships and measures success around five indicators of competitive communities: innovative capacity, talent, entrepreneurial/business environment, livability and strong industry clusters. Through our innovative process, unique vision and ability to create a plan and deliver results, EngenuitySC is working to build a more competitive and prosperous Midlands region. For more information, visit http://www.engenuitysc.com.
(Image: Ignite! Ideas Contest 2013 finalist PEGS Shades, by Jonathan Sharpe Photography)
