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Business Plan Competition

Protocol for Teams

Teams entering the Business Plan Competition should carefully read all of the information below before registering.

Rounds, Deadlines, and Protocol

  1. Determine Eligibility
  2. Team Registration
  3. 90-Second Fast Pitch Competition
  4. Semi-Final Round
  5. Final Business Plan
  6. Finals
  7. Awards

1. Determine Eligibility

  • Before registering your team, carefully review the Eligibility and Requirements section to determine if your team and business plan are eligible.

2. Team Registration

  • Team registration will open online in January 2012. All teams must be registered by January 27, 2012. Please note that it is the team's responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the contact information.

3. 90-Second Fast Pitch Competition

  • On January 30, 2012, a 1-2 page abstract describing your idea will be submitted for distribution to the fast pitch judging panel. This electronic document should be submitted to Diane Singel at .
  • Registered teams that meet the eligibility requirements will make a 90-second fast pitch on February 4, 2012 at the West Los Angeles Graduate Campus
  • The 90-second pitch will be followed by a 2-minute question and answer session.
  • Eight semi-finalists will be selected and announced at the end of the fast pitch competition.

4. Semi-Final Round

  • The eight semi-finalists will be informed of their advancement at the conclusion of the February 4, 2012 fast pitch competition.
  • There are two components and deadlines for the semi-final round:
    1. Submission of a full business plan by 12 p.m. PT on March 2, 2012 (Please refer to the next section for more details on the business plan format and submission.)
    2. Oral pitch presentation on March 10, 2012 at the West Los Angeles Graduate Campus.
  • Teams will be asked to prepare and present a 15-minute oral presentation followed by a 10-minute Q&A from the judges.
  • Four finalists will be chosen based on both the written business plan and the semi-final presentation and informed of their advancement immediately following the semi-final round.
  • Feedback to the four final teams will be provided at the conclusion of the semi-final round and the finalists can submit updated versions of their business plan at this time.

5. Final Business Plan

  • The business plan submission is the actual plan submitted for judging.
  • Business plans must be submitted in PDF format, printable on 8.5" x 11" paper, and may not exceed 30 pages of text, graphs, and appendices. 
  • Minimum font size is 11 pt. (graphs and appendices excluded). You may use the font style of your choice.
  • Plans may be double or one-and-a-half line spaced. Do not single space the plan.
  • Submitted plans will be judged by a panel of students, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and faculty members.
  • Business plan submissions should be e-mailed directly to Diane Singel at by 12 p.m. PT on March 2, 2012.

6. Finals

  • The finals will take place on March 31, 2012 at the Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu.
  • The four final teams will be required to make a presentation to their peers, judges and the investment community.
  • The final presentation will be 15 minutes in length followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer period. Both the presentation and the Q&A will be timed.

7. Awards

  • The panel of judges will meet after the final round of the competition to determine the winner of the business plan competition.
  • The winner of the 2012 Pepperdine Business Plan Competition will be announced immediately after the judges deliberate.
  • The award amounts for the business plan competition are as follows:

    First Place: $10,000
    Second Place: $5,000
    Third Place: $2,500
    Fourth Place: $1,000