The Challenge showcases business opportunities with the greatest potential for a positive impact on society through the commercialization of new and truly innovative technologies. Only business plans that make integral use of novel technology, such as technologies in the following industry categories, will be chosen to participate:

• Semiconductors, Manufacturing, and Hardware
• Mobile and Wireless
• Digital Home and Consumer Electronics
• Retail and Consumer Software
• Enterprise Software and IT
• Energy and Power Generation
• Nanotechnology
• Life Sciences and Biotechnology

While the scope of technology innovation is not restricted to the above, plans without a strong technology focus may not be chosen to compete.

Business Plan Guidelines and Deliverables for 2008 Participating Teams Click Here

Judging Process
Upon nomination for entry into the Challenge by their partner school, teams will submit their business plans for review by the Challenge judging committee.
 
Judging Criteria
The Challenge judging criteria will be structured to select the business opportunity with the greatest impact through the deployment of new technology. Emphasis will be placed on the deployment of emerging and innovative technology products and services, which have a high likelihood of generating significant benefits for all stakeholders, both investors and the broader industry ecosystem.
 
The judging committee will not be biased towards plans that generate the highest financial return, however a requirement for entry is that the proposed businesses can achieve a positive return within their proposed investment timeframe.   

Judges will be notable venture capitalists and other industry and entrepreneurship experts.

Prizes
The winner of the 2008 Technology Entrepreneurship Challenge will receive a $25,000 cash prize. All participants will benefit from the education provided, introductions to potential investors, publicity, and feedback from industry experts that will occur at the Competition.

Eligibility
Business plan teams may only enter the Challenge through nomination by a partner school or competition.

1.1 Partner Schools and Competitions

• Partner schools and Competitions are chosen by the organizers of the Challenge based upon their ability to produce high quality plans focused on technology entrepreneurship.
• Plans which have progressed to the final round of the business plan competition of a partner schools may enter.
• Each partner school may nominate up to two (2) business plans in any one year.

1.2 Business Plan Guidelines

• The proposed business should be achievable.
• The proposed business plan should be suitable for equity financing.
• The proposed business plan should generate positive return on equity within the proposed investment timeframe.
• The proposed business plan should not be in violation of any intellectual property rights.
• The proposed business plan should demonstrate a commitment to responsible and ethical business practices.

1.3 Funding

• Teams or team members that have received any form or amount of venture capital financing for their business plan may not participate in the Challenge.
• Teams with seed financing from non-venture capital sources totaling less than $250,000 may compete in the Challenge, providing that the amount and source of all capital arrangements are clearly identified in the team’s entry materials for the Challenge.

Confidentiality and Intellectual Property Guidelines

• The authors of the business plan will retain all rights to the plan regarding its use at all times prior to and following the competition except as stated below. Due to the nature of the competition, we will not ask judges, reviewers, staff or the audience to agree to or sign non-disclosure statements for any participant.
  
• All public sessions of the competition, including but not limited to oral presentations and question/answer sessions, are open to the public at large. Any and all of these public sessions may be broadcast to interested persons through media which may include radio, television and the Internet. Any data or information discussed or divulged in public sessions by entrants should be considered information that will likely enter the public realm, and entrants should not assume any right of confidentiality in any data or information discussed, divulged or presented in these sessions.
  
• Intel and the Lester Center may make photocopies, photographs, videotapes and/or audiotapes of the presentations including the business plan and other documents, charts or material prepared for use in presentation at the Challenge. Submitting teams retain all proprietary rights. The Challenge may use the materials in any book or other printed materials and any videotape or other medium that it may produce, provided that any profits earned from the sale of such items is used by Challenge to defray the costs of future Competitions. The partners have non-exclusive world rights in all languages, and in all media, to use or to publish the materials in any book, other printed materials, videotapes or other medium, and to use the materials in future editions thereof and derivative.