Students — New York Business Plan Competition

STUDENTS

The NYBPC is for current and future entrepreneurs

What to do next:

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What’s in it for you:

Receive feedback from experts in their field
Potential investment opportunities
Experience delivering pitches

The New York Business Plan Competition will feature regional competitions in New York’s ten geographic zones – Capital Region, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes, Western New York, Southern Tier, Mid-Hudson, New York City and Long Island - followed by a final, statewide competition.

The regional semifinals are hosted by local partner colleges and universities generally in March. The top two teams from six different industry/vertical tracks in each region are invited to compete in the statewide competition. The winners at all levels of the competition are selected by esteemed judges, including venture capitalists, angel investors, investment bankers, experienced entrepreneurs, and leaders from the business community.

JOIN THE NEXT GENERATION

The NYBPC is New York’s intercollegiate entrepreneurship competition that, since 2010, has provided a platform for training New York’s next generation of entrepreneurs and launched new ventures, commercializing innovations developed on college campuses across New York.

How it works

All students are invited to apply! This includes any graduate, undergraduate, and/or community college students enrolled part- or full-time in accredited New York colleges and universities during the current academic year. Students who graduate during the Fall semester are eligible to compete in the competition during the Spring semester. Exchange students are also eligible.

Students will fill out the application and will be contacted by their regional organizers for next steps. Applications open in January and close in March.

Regional competitions are hosted locally in March/April in all ten regions across NY state. The winners of these competitions move on to the statewide finals. Students are assigned to a regional competition based on the location of their school. All regional competitions follow the NYBPC rulebook and the rubric, but format and timing of the regional competitions vary.

Competing in the nybpc

Applications for the 2024-2025 NYBPC will open in January 2025.

Additional Resources:
2024 NYBPC Rulebook
2024 Judging Rubric
NYBPC Presentation Suggestions: Slide Deck Template
Executive Summary Template

Example Presentations:
RHM Innovations: Courtney Burris (University at Buffalo) + Brandon Davis Burris (University of Rochester), (2023 Grand Prize Winner, pitching at the NYBPC Finals)
Photonect: Juniyali Nauriyal and Sushant Kumar, University of Rochester (2022 Grand Prize)

STUDENT AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

NYBPC Student Ambassadors are top entrepreneurial students at each college and university across New York State! Our ambassadors are influencers on campus who are sharing entrepreneurial resources and spreading the word about the NYBPC.

If you think you could be our next NYBPC Student Ambassador at your campus, fill out the form below or reach out to bailey@upstatecapital.org for more information. Click here to view the Student Ambassador information sheet to learn more.

Learn more