2016 Shocker New Venture Competition Rules and Guidelines
The following rules are binding throughout the entire duration of the Shocker New Venture Competition
(SNVC). Participating in the SNVC indicates that teams accept these rules and regulations and agree to
abide by them. The Center for Entrepreneurship and the SNVC staff reserve the right to disqualify any
team and/or team member they believe are not abiding by the rules of the SNVC.
Confidentiality:
The Shocker New Venture Competition honors the confidentiality of all participants’ business concepts
and plans. Business concepts, abstracts and plans will not be released for any purposes other than use in
the SNVC. The judges also recognize the sensitivity of the materials being presented.
Due to the nature of the competition, we are not able to ask judges, reviewers, staff, or other audience
members to agree to sign nondisclosure statements. However the Shocker New Venture Competition staff
makes every effort to limit the distribution of business plans to only the invited judges of the competition.
What the judges will be looking for in entries:
Teams will be judged based on their ability to succinctly encapsulate their business concept through a
market analysis, a clear value proposition, and a sustainable competitive advantage. The SNVC staff
requests that all judges provide constructive feedback, strengths, weaknesses & recommendations, on the
business summaries, plans and during the Trade Show. Their feedback provides teams the opportunity to
further develop, grow, and advance their new venture concept.
Start-up capital will be awarded to the winning teams from a prize pool of more than $30,000, aiding in
the launch of new ventures.
Contestants should strive for ideas that will produce revenue and/or investments to employ at least three
people within a year and many more over time.
Ask yourself and your partners:
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What's the value proposition: What problem are we solving for customers and what makes our
idea special?
What's the market we're trying to serve and is it big enough to matter?
How will we reach it?
What's our sustainable competitive advantage?
Your entry should answer these questions:
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How you have tested this idea with potential customers?
How you arrived at your costs, pricing, and expected profit margin?
How long will it take you to get to profitability?
How will you finance the work before it becomes profitable?
What are your qualifications for pursuing and managing this business and who else are you going
to rely on for help?
How serious are you about turning this idea into a business you will run?
Definitions used in the 2016 rules:
Team: A team consists of one to five members. At least one of the members must be enrolled as an
undergraduate or graduate student taking at least six credit hours in the 2015 spring semester at a Kansas
college or university. December 2014 graduates are also eligible. Email addresses and postal mailing
addresses must be provided for each team member. Winning teams will have checks mailed to the
primary contacts designated mailing addresses.
Primary Contact: Each team must designate a primary contact. That primary contact must be enrolled as
a student taking at least six credit hours during the spring 2016 semester at a Kansas college or university.
All official contest communication will be sent to the primary contact from SNVC@wichita.edu. It is the
primary contact's responsibility to communicate with other members of the team.
Faculty Advisor: Each team must have a faculty adviser with an .edu email address. For a team to be
officially registered, the faculty member must complete the faculty advisor form.
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Payment of Awards: The Wichita State University Foundation will issue checks in the full
amount of the award. Tax payments on the awards will become the responsibility of those
receiving the checks.
Competition Timeline and Guidance:
Intent to Compete & Faculty Advisor Forms
Intent to Compete forms must be submitted online, including a brief description of your business idea.
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Deadline: 4:00 p.m. Friday, February 26, 2016
Submit to: SNVC@wichita.edu
Forms: www.wichita.edu/SNVC
The primary contacts and faculty advisors of teams eligible to compete will receive emails acknowledging
receipt of their Intent to Compete forms.
A team’s Faculty Advisor must submit their registration by 4 P.M. Friday, February 26. Faculty Advisors
are welcome to sponsor multiple teams in the competition. Faculty Advisors must be employed by a
Kansas college or university and have an .edu email address.
Screening Round 1: Two-Page Business Summary
Business Summary due
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Guideline: Summaries of no more than two pages (not counting cover page)
Deadline: Noon, Friday, March 4, 2016
Submit to: SNVC@wichita.edu
Your team's summary should address these questions:
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What's the value proposition?
What problem is this business solving for customers?
What makes this idea special?
Why is your team especially well-suited to address this problem?
What's the market you're trying to serve and is it big enough to matter?
How will you reach the market?
What's your sustainable competitive advantage?
Judges will select up to 32 teams to continue to Round 2. Primary contacts and faculty advisors of teams
advancing will be informed via email by Monday, March 14.
Screening Round 2: Ten-Page Business Plan
Business Plan due
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Guideline: Each team selected must submit a business plan of up to 10 pages.
Deadline: 8:00 a.m. Friday, April 1.
Submit to: SNVC@wichita.edu
Your team's plan should answer these questions:
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How have you tested this idea with potential customers?
What are your expected costs, pricing and eventual profit margin and how have you arrived at
those numbers?
How will you finance the work before it becomes profitable?
What are your qualifications for pursuing and managing this business and who else are you going
to rely on for help?
How serious are you about turning this idea into a business you will run? You should convince
the judges your team plans to pursue this business if you are a winner.
Palo Alto LivePlan software:
Your team's plan should answer these questions:
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How have you tested this idea with potential customers?
 Relevant LivePlan section(s)
 Target MarketMarket Needs
 You can also enter these results in text in LivePlan
What are your expected costs, pricing and eventual profit margin and how have you arrived at
those numbers?
 Relevant LivePlan section(s)
 Financial PlanBudget
 Financial PlanForecast
How will you finance the work before it becomes profitable?
 Any details not addressed in the Financial Plan section should be addressed in text in
LivePlan.
What are your qualifications for pursuing and managing this business and who else are you going
to rely on for help?
 Relevant LivePlan section(s)
 CompanyManagement Team
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How serious are you about turning this idea into a business you will run? You should convince
the judges your team plans to pursue this business if you are a winner.
 Relevant LivePlan section(s)
 Strategy and Implementation
 Feel free to enter any details in text in LivePlan.
Judges will select up to 16 teams to continue to the Trade Show. Primary contacts and faculty advisors of
teams selected will be informed via email by Tuesday, April 12.
Teams advancing to the Trade Show will need to email a one page abstract and their company logo to
SNVC@wichita.edu by 5 p.m. Sunday, April 17.
Trade Show:
Trade Show at Charles Koch Arena Preferred Health Gym
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Date: Friday, April 22
Student set up: Beginning at 10:00 a.m. Charles Koch Arena
People’s Choice Award Judging: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Business Community Judging takes place: 3:00 - 6:00 p.m.
The Trade Show will be held in the Preferred Health Gym of Charles Koch Arena on the WSU campus, at
21st and Hillside. Teams will need to return to Koch Arena no later than 1 p.m. to prepare for judging
beginning at 2 p.m.
Judges and the public may visit the Trade Show exhibits from 2 - 6 p.m. Teams may set up exhibits
beginning at 10:00 a.m. Each team will have an assigned spot on the concourse with a 6 x 2.5 foot table
and access to an electrical outlet. Teams may also create backdrops for their tables. Teams are responsible
for supplying the materials needed for their exhibit.
Teams should present a visual representation of their ideas and be prepared to brief judges and other
onlookers. That will involve repeatedly offering pitches about your business idea and responding to
questions and comments. Students are expected to come prepared with thorough knowledge of their
business model, and we strongly recommend bringing business cards for networking purposes.
Trade Show Pitch:
Each of the following questions is addressed in the LivePlan PITCH feature. Select the “Pitch tab to get
started.
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What's the value proposition?
What problem is this business solving for customers?
What makes this idea special?
Why is your team especially well-suited to address this problem?
What's the market you're trying to serve and is it big enough to matter?
How will you reach the market?
What's your sustainable competitive advantage?
During the Trade Show round, teams and judges are to adhere to the following rules:
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Prizes and drawings are not allowed as part of a team display.
Disruptions, such as noisemakers or anything that may cause a distraction, are not permitted.
Team displays set up and ready by 1:00 p.m.
Teams will be allowed to accept business cards from judges and vice versa.
All teams selected for the Trade Show round will receive a minimum of $100. In addition, there will be
Director's Awards to recognize excellence in presentation of new venture ideas.
Judges will select six teams advancing to Finals. Primary contacts and faculty advisors of teams
advancing will be informed via email by Friday, April 22.
Finals:
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Date: Friday, April 29
Presentations: Open to all teams who competed in the competition, judges, faculty advisors & the
public
 Teams 1 – 3
 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Devlin Hall, 107
 Teams 4 - 6
 1:30 – 4 p.m., Devlin Hall,107
 Teams will arrive at 8 a.m. at Devlin Hall, KFBF Innovation Hub, 2 Floor
 Teams will have breakfast provided but will be on their own for lunch
Deliberation:
 Time: 4 – 4:45 p.m., Devlin Hall, 2 Floor Conference Room
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The six teams will be assigned a presentation time by blind draw.
Starting at 10 a.m. teams 1 -3 will give a 15 minute pitch, treating the judges as potential investors. There
will be 15 minutes for judges' questions and feedback. A slide presentation and/or demonstration are
required. There will be a projector and screen available.
Starting at 1:30 p.m. teams 4-6 will give their 15 minute pitch, treating the judges as potential investors.
There will be 15 minutes for judges’ questions and feedback. A slide presentation and/or demonstration
are required. There will be a projector and screen available.
Teams participating in Finals can qualify to win a minimum of:
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First Place: $10,000
Second Place: $5,000
Third Place: $2,000
Fourth Place: $750
The teams will also be eligible for special awards for Technology Innovation, Healthcare Innovation and
Director's Awards for Trade Show excellence. Those awards may also be presented to teams eliminated in
earlier rounds.
Awards Ceremony:
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Time: 5:00 – 6:00 p.m., KFBF Innovation Hub, 2ND Floor, Devlin Hall
Winners announced: 5 p.m.
Open to the public
At the conclusion of the final presentations around 4:00 p.m., there will be a public reception in the KFBF
Innovation Hub of Devlin Hall to honor all contestants, judges and sponsors in the 2016 Shocker New
Venture Competition.
Once judges have reached their decisions, awards will be announced, approximately 5:00 p.m. Winners
will be announced for first, second, third and fourth places, plus the Technology Innovation Award,
Healthcare Innovation, and Director’s Award.
General Rules:
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Shocker New Venture Competition entries must represent original work of team members.
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The entry must be for a new business (e.g. opening a franchise of an existing chain is not
considered a new venture).
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At least one member of each team must be a current student, or December 2015 graduate, of an
accredited Kansas college or university.
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Each team must have a faculty advisor from the same college or university as the primary contact.
Faculty members may advise more than one team.
An individual may only be a member of one team
No team may have more than five members, but not every member needs to be from the same
college or university, or needs to be a currently enrolled student.
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Only one entry per individual or team is permitted. The entry must be submitted as a Microsoft
Word document, with 12 point text, one inch margins on top, bottom and sides. Pages must be
numbered at bottom right.
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No more than 10 pages may be included in the entry, but an additional 10 pages of appendices are
permitted of tables, spread sheets or other supporting materials.
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No submission longer than the specified length will be considered.
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The only persons with access to the entry materials will be judges and members of the organizing
committee.
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Materials will not be distributed to any other parties, unless requested by the participating team.
Judges, reviewers, and staff will be asked to make a good faith effort to preserve the
confidentiality of each plan. However, no other or special provisions are made to protect
intellectual property. Teams should take measures to protect their own intellectual property.
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All deadlines and guidelines for submissions must be adhered to. Materials must be submitted by
deadline by the announced due dates and times to SNVC@wichita.edu
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The Center for Entrepreneurship may select alternates for any round if selected teams are
unwilling or unable to continue in the competition.
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The Center for Entrepreneurship reserves the right to disqualify, in its sole and absolute
discretion, any team from the competition at any time. Reasons for disqualification may include,
but are not limited to, plagiarism and any other form of dishonesty, misappropriation or
infringement of the intellectual property of others, and any failure to comply with these rules and
regulations. Disqualified teams shall forfeit all prizes awarded to them.
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Prize money is intended for team members to support their venture idea.
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The names and photographs of contestant's and brief descriptions of their entries may be used in
news coverage or promotion of the Center for Entrepreneurship or the Shocker New Venture
Competition.
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The Center for Entrepreneurship reserves the right to amend or change the rules or organization
of the competition.
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No staff member or student worker of the Center for Entrepreneurship may participate in the
competition.