Student Business Plan Competition

Business sense and a good idea is any entrepreneur’s recipe for success –$10,000 doesn’t hurt either.

Students at Millersville University are among the 312 students enrolled from Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) universities who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs and creating new businesses through the first annual PASSHE Student Business Plan Competition. The winning students will be awarded a grand prize of $10,000 to create their business.

Twenty-eight students and teams from Millersville are enrolled in the competition, well above the average per-PASSHE school participation.

“I am thrilled with the response by Millersville students and anticipate more opportunities in the near future for the Millersville University entrepreneurs,” said Victor Capecce, assistant professor in the Department of Communication & Theatre and the competition coordinator at Millersville. Capecce also serves on the competition’s awards committee and its entrepreneur curriculum committee.

The students represent more than 50 academic majors, and attend Millersville, Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities. Of the 312 students participating, 46 percent are seniors, 19 percent juniors, 12 percent graduate students, 11 percent freshmen and 11 percent sophomores.

The PASSHE Business Plan Competition was launched during fall 2011 semester. A series of live online learning sessions focused on business plan writing are being presented by Robert Weber, senior fellow at the Wharton School of Business. The deadline to submit Business Plans is December 31, 2011.

The Student Business Plan Competition is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union (PSECU), Platinum Level Sponsor and J.P. Morgan, Bronze Level Sponsor. Additionally, the competition is supported by a Keystone Innovation Grant funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

For more information on the competition and sponsorship opportunities, visit the PASSHE Business Plan Competition website.