The Curry Cup: Fame and Fortune!
The winner of the 2012 entrepreneurial concept competition sponsored by Curry's Ed Council and the Curry School Foundation will receive the Curry Cup, snag $3,000 in cash, and advance to the all-University competition for the U.Va. E-Cup. At the U.Va. E-Cup Finals competition, which will be held at Curry later in the fall this year, the rewards will be $20,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place, and $5,000 for honorable mention.
The second-place finisher in the Curry Cup contest will capture $1,500, and the third-place team will receive $500. Prize money will be split equally among team members, unless all team members agree otherwise.
How do you Compete?
The Concept Competition requires a proposal that should outline the concept in general terms. The general description should explain the entrepreneurial idea, the market, the competition, and the idea's competitive advantages. Concepts are evaluated on their viability in the current marketplace. The general description should be in the form of an executive summary; it may be followed by additional materials (e.g., resumes, diagrams). The executive summary should be a maximum of two-three pages of text (i.e., about 1000-1200 words), and it should be printed in 10- or 12-point font with one-inch margins. Supplemental materials such as displays, exhibits, and resumes, should be limited to two to three and be only those necessary to explain the concept and relevant characteristics of the proposers. Provide only copies of printed materials that you do not expect to have returned.
Some additional recommendations for the Executive Summary are as follows:
Concept Summary: Write a short paragraph describing your entrepreneurial concept. Start with a one-sentence description of the underlying idea. Determine the customer or market. Decide how the project will generate revenue. State what makes the concept unique.
Value Proposition: Determine the pain or problem that the concept addresses. Explain the solution the concept provides. Establish why the product's or service's benefits are real and valuable to customers.
Market Opportunity: Calculate the total revenues for the target market. (This can be expressed in terms of total revenues or total expenditures by customers, or can be expressed in terms of total customers multiplied by the average amount spent per customer annually.) Discuss your current or anticipated competition.
Productor Service Description: Describe the attributes of any product or service. Explain how the product will be produced or how the service will be performed. Determine how much or what types of resources would be generally required.
Management Team: (Please see the E-Cup Eligibility Requirements)
- Who are members of the team?
- What are their backgrounds?
- What are their intended roles within this proposal?
Contact Information:
- Name of Team Captain
- Address
- Telephone Number
- E-mail Address
Disclaimer: The Concept Competition will be an open, public session. Any content applicants deem highly proprietary or sensitive should not be included or disclosed in either submissions or presentations. Concept documents will not be published or distributed except as described above. Participation in, submissions, and information disclosures for the competition are wholly voluntary. Participants should note that they alone control the content of their disclosures.
If invited to do so, your Curry student team member must present your paper publicly on November 6th at 10:00 AM in Holloway Hall (Bavaro 116) for a maximum of ten minutes and answer questions for ten minutes. Enter individually or form a team of students, alumni, and/or faculty. If at least one Curry undergraduate or graduate student is currently enrolled in a degree program, the team is welcome.
What is the Timeline?
Put these important dates on your calendar:
- October 3, 7:00 pm - Curry Cup Q & A Webinar. Please email eliebtag@virginia.edu if you would like to participate in this webinar.
- Friday, November 2, midnight Deadline for submission of proposals.
- Tuesday, November 6, 9:00 AM - TBD Curry Cup final competition in Bavaro 116 (Holloway Hall) and awarding of $5,000 in prizes.
- Friday, November 16, 1:00 PM E-Cup Finals and awarding of $40,000 in prizes in Holloway Hall at Bavaro
Please visit E-Cup FAQ for further information on the University-wide E-Cup.
Questions?
Q. Will I have to complete my project to participate?
A. No. The Curry Cup is a concept competition. All you need to do is develop your idea on paper and describe it as requested in the application.
Q. If I get an award, do I have to turn my idea into a working prototype?
A. Although we encourage winners to pursue their ideas beyond the concept stage, this is not a requirement for the Curry Cup. Its up to you to decide how to use your prize money.
Q. How do we submit our proposal?
A. We're using a U.Va. E-Cup process to facilitate submission of proposals. Entries will be submitted online via YouNoodle, so simply click over to the login-form, register, and proceed.
If you have further questions or need assistance, contact either of the following:
Emily Liebtag Inter-School Relations Chair Education Council eliebtag@virginia.edu
John Wills Lloyd Professor EDIS johnl@virginia.edu
