Are You Smarter Than a … 17th Grader?

CINCINNATI, Ohio – February 27, 2008 -

Are you smarter than a 17th Grader? Or teams of fired-up MBA college students competing for $20,000 in cash prizes and an automatic bid to the 2008 MOOT Super Bowl of World Business Plan Competition with over $100,000 in total prizes at stake?

Cincom Systems, one of the world’s largest independent software companies, and celebrating its 40th year of operations, will host and sponsor the 2008 Annual University of Cincinnati (UC) Spirit of Enterprise MBA Business Plan Competition, on Thursday, February 28 and Friday, February 29, 2008.

Critical Issues Facing the World
Health care, the energy crisis, education, global warming and tapping the power of nanotechnology are some of the most critical issues facing the world. The teams competing in the UC Spirit of Enterprise competition have entrepreneurial ideas to help face and overcome these challenges.

Battle of Ideas
The UC Spirit of Enterprise MBA Business Plan Competition is a battle of ideas as well as an invitational forum for the next generation of entrepreneurs to "road test" their new business-venture concepts − concepts and ideas that may have a powerful effect on business and the world.  

Show Me the Money
To win the battle, the ideas have to be communicated in a powerful, persuasive and moving way to an esteemed panel of bankers, venture capitalists and business leaders. The most innovative and commercially viable business plans will be rewarded with cash prizes of up to $20,000.
 

Who Is Competing?

•    Indiana University
•    Kennesaw State University
•    Loyola Marymount University
•    University of Arkansas
•    University of Cincinnati
•    University of Georgia
•    University of Illinois – Chicago
•    University of Louisville
•    University of Manitoba
•    University of Michigan
•    University of Oregon
•    University of Wisconsin
•    Wake Forest University
•    Washington University - St. Louis

What Type of Business Concepts?

•    Nanotechnology
•    Clean coal energy
•    Heart-muscle, tissue-regeneration technology
•    Safety software for utility companies
•    Integrated e-commerce and social networking
•    Patient monitoring systems
•    Military inventory tracking systems
•    Luxury construction stone products for the home
•    Medical tourism
•    Loans for Chinese MBA students
•    Medical device development specializing in the orthopedic market
•    Lighted motorcycle riding apparel
•    Patient monitoring systems
•    3-D body scanners
 
How Does It Work?

The best business-venture plans are identified through a competition format consisting of three intense and challenging preliminary rounds – very much like the NCAA Basketball Tournament. At the conclusion of the preliminary round, the top four business plans will be elected to advance to the final round's single track, where they will again have 25 minutes to sell their venture − this time to a new panel of judges.

Can You Think on Your Seat?

Those teams not chosen for the final championship round will move on to the consolation track: the UC Taxi/Limo Round. Competing teams will be given an actual 10-minute taxi/limo ride, with a judge/potential investor riding with the team.  

No PowerPoint Allowed!

During each taxi/limo ride, team members will be given the opportunity to make their pitch to a potential investor. Unlike the preliminary and championship rounds, team members will not be permitted to use PowerPoint presentations, visual aids or computer technology.

Rewards

The most innovative and commercially viable business plans will be rewarded with cash prizes of up to $20,000. Teams receiving financial rewards will include the top four teams recognized during the final championship round (first place $10,000 Cincom Spirit of Enterprise Champion Award; first runner-up $3,500 Spirit Award; second runner-up $2,000 Queen City Angels First Fund Award; and third runner-up $500 Excellence Award).  In addition, the top team in the Taxi/Limo Round and the recipient of the Best Technology Plan will receive cash prizes.  

The Cincom Spirit of Enterprise Grand Prize

The $10,000 Cincom Spirit of Enterprise Champion prize, the first-place recipient, will be awarded an automatic bid to the 2008 MOOT Corp. Competition, held at the University of Texas, Austin.

“Cincom Systems’ World Headquarters is a great venue in which to compete. It gives students a chance to learn about global business from one of the all-time great entrepreneurial success stories in the software industry, CEO Tom Nies,” said  Dr. Charles Matthews, Director of the University of Cincinnati Center for Entrepreneurship Education & Research.

About the UC Center for Entrepreneurship Education and Research (E-Center)

Founded in 1997 by Dr. Charles H. Matthews, the E-Center's vision and mission is to provide a state-of-the-art entrepreneurship curriculum and research base not only for potential student entrepreneurs and scholars, but also for people in entrepreneurial and family-owned businesses on a daily basis. The University of Cincinnati has been ranked as one of the top 50 programs for entrepreneurship in the U.S. by Success magazine, and one of the top regional programs in the U.S by Entrepreneur Magazine and The Princeton Review's 4th Annual Top Entrepreneurial Colleges.

About Cincom

Cincom develops, delivers and supports innovative software and services to simplify complex business processes. For 40 years, Cincom has enabled thousands of clients worldwide to increase revenue, control cost, minimize risk and achieve rapid ROI.

Cincom serves clients on six continents including Citibank, Boeing, Ericsson, Penn State University, Milacron, Siemens and Trane. For more information about Cincom's products and services, contact Cincom at 1-800-2CINCOM (USA only), send an e-mail to info@cincom.com, or visit the company's website at www.cincom.com.