Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Competition
This week I had the pleasure of reviewing one of the graduate business plans for the 3rd Annual Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition. The event is organized by the Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NCET), and it is Nevada’s only statewide collegiate awards program in which graduate and undergraduate students compete for cash awards in excess of $110,000.
I am glad that I only agreed to review one because it took a considerable amount of time to do so. I approached the judging process very seriously because I know how hard the students worked on them and what it could mean if they won. The plans were scored on many different components including:
- Their ability to provide a stand-alone overview of the plan
- Vision, History, Current Status, Strategy, Goals, Mission and Objectives for the business
- Features and Benefits and Competitive Advantages
- Marketing and Competitive Analysis
- Operating Strategies
- Critical Risks
- Cash Flow, Income Statement, and Balance Sheet
- Funds Required/Used
- Offering that clearly articulates the proposal/terms to investors
I was required to make comments on each category, and I did not my best to provide as much feedback as possible. Even for those students that did not make it to the finals, I think it is an invaluable process and one that should serve them well into the future. It is exciting to see an organization like NCET empowering the future entrepreneurs of Nevada.
New this year is the Lieutenant Governor Award, which is a $10,000 cash prize that is split between a graduate and undergraduate team that employs clean, renewable, or efficient energy technologies and services. Growing the renewable energy industry in Nevada means big dollars for the state, as well as a great means of weaning this country off of non-renewable resources.
The winners of the Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup and the Lt. Governor’s Awards will be announced on April 26 at the Awards Gala at the Siena Hotel Spa Casino in Reno. The events begin at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and the awards at 6:30 p.m.
Governor Jim Gibbons, the Gala’s Guest of Honor, will be joined by Lt. Governor Brian Krolicki, Master of Ceremonies, and Patty Wade, Event Chair.
tags: reno, nevada, center, for, entrepreneurship, and, technology, Donald, W., Reynolds, Governor’s, Cup, awards, competition
April 27th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
[...] As I reported before, I had the pleasure of participating in the judging process, so it was nice to see the entire process come to fruition. A huge shout out goes to David Archer, managing director, as well as Emily Lowe, marketing manager, both from the Nevada Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NCET). They worked very hard to put on the competition and the awards ceremony. [...]