Panasci Overview and Judging

The Competition

The Panasci Business Plan Competition rewards both the innovativeness of the idea and the quality of the plan, including innovative thinking regarding new markets, products and services, coupled with the ability to strategize on how to make it happen.

Any team of students from any school or college at Syracuse University can enter the Panasci Business Plan Competition. Individuals can also enter; however, the team leader must be enrolled as a student in a Syracuse University program. The submissions must be the teams' own original work and ideas.

Get Help with Your Plan

Our Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises faculty work with student teams to enhance their business plans.

How to write a business plan?

• If you want to learn how to write a business plan and obtain 1 credit, enroll in course EEE 458.
• This document explains the nuts and bolts of how to write a business plan
• This document is an example of a business plan whose team members previously won the competition. 

Judging

Teams first submit entries for judging in the Preliminary/Overview phase, which takes place in early March. The independent panel of outside judges reviews all preliminary entries, then narrows the field to a group of teams to proceed to the second round, the Business Plan phase.

In the Business Plan phase, the qualifying teams finish researching their new venture ideas and then write and assemble a complete business plan. These complete plans are reviewed by the judging panel and judged on the basis of the concept, the market, the economics of the business, operations, the management team, financing needed, and so forth. Click on the presentation type for judging guidelines for the oral and written plan presentations.

The completed business plans are due by end of March. The judging panel reviews the plans submitted, then selects 12 teams to proceed to the semi-final round, which is the Presentation phase in person. During the semi-finals, each of the 12 teams will have 15 minutes to present their business plans in separate rooms with 3-4 teams. The judges will have 10 minutes to question the presenters, and at the end of this round, the 12 teams are narrowed down to four. The four finalists will then present for five minutes each in the Flaum Hall in front of all judges and attendees who will also have the chance to vote. Winners are determined and awards are presented after this final round of presentations and voting.

Prizes