2012 Judging Guidelines
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Download the pdf version of the Judging Guidelines |
Competition Objectives
Economic Fuel is a business plan competition for local college students and recent graduates from all academic disciplines. The objectives of the competition are to:
- Create a climate of opportunity that provides students and recent graduates with the incentive to apply their education and talents locally
- Nurture local economic development by inspiring and supporting students and recent graduates in entrepreneurial pursuits.
- Build bonds between local academic institutions, businesses, and the community.
- Support formal entrepreneurial education in Humboldt County.
- Provide seed capital to initiate and support student managed entrepreneurial enterprises.
Judging Overview
Our judging guidelines mirror the assessment criteria of potential investors. The judges evaluate the team’s business idea considering:
- Viability of the idea.
- Potential of the team to successfully start and grow the business.
- Quality of the written business plan based on realistic financial projections.
The Written Business Plan
The written business plans will be judged based on their comprehensiveness of information and overall viability. The judges evaluate the plan based on:
- Effectively defining the industry, target market, competition, marketing plan, operations, economic impact, financial assumptions, $25,000 spending plan and the compilation of these components into a concise and compelling executive summary.
- The reasonable likelihood of long term success.
The Formal Presentation
The formal presentations will be judged on both content and quality. The judges evaluate the teams based on:
- Speakers making a compelling presentation that sells the business idea.
- Speakers effectively answering questions to add credibility to the business venture.
