BPC Guidelines

tecBRIDGE and its judges agree to treat Business Plan Competition submissions as the confidential property of the entrant teams; however, all entrants must consider the risks associated with sharing information on venture strategies and activities as part of the Business Plan Competition. 

1. Final approval of contestant eligibility is reserved for the Judging Committee.
2. One or more Collegiate team members must be (i) a full-time undergraduate or graduate student in good standing affiliated with a tecBRIDGE Member Institution of Higher Education, and (ii) own 50% or more of the company equity along with primary management responsibilities at the time of submission.
3. Business plans must identify commercial solutions for products or services that leverage technical processes, methods, or intellectual property that create clear competitive advantage. For competition purposes, intellectual property includes patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
4. The winning team will receive 50% of their cash award within thirty (30) days of the Competition Awards Event subject to incorporation and establishment of their business headquarters in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  
5. The balance of the prize money will be paid in Q4 of the Competition Year based on compliance with the above requirements as well as a demonstrated effort to move forward on the winning venture concept.  Winning teams must provide a written confirmation of the use of initial Award proceeds as well as a spending plan for the balance of the prize money. Owner compensation expenses are not considered eligible expenses in the spending plan.

1. Final approval of contestant eligibility is reserved for the Judging Committee.
2. Non-Collegiate teams will have earned less than $250K in gross revenues since the inception of the business based on their last tax filing.
3. Business plans must identify commercial solutions for products or services that leverage technical processes, methods, or intellectual property that create clear competitive advantage. For competition purposes, intellectual property includes patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
4. The winning team will receive 50% of their cash award within thirty (30) days of the Competition Awards Event subject to incorporation and establishment of their business headquarters in Northeastern Pennsylvania. 
5. The balance of the prize money will be paid in Q4 of the Competition Year based on compliance with the above requirements as well as a demonstrated effort to move forward on the winning venture concept. Winning teams must provide a written confirmation of the use of initial Award proceeds as well as a spending plan for the balance of the prize money. Owner compensation expenses are not considered eligible expenses in the spending plan.

1. Wild Card Winners are selected by attendees at the BPC Award Event who vote their “tecBUCKS” obtained at registration.
2. All finalist teams presenting at the Awards Event, including Division Winners, are eligible to be selected as the Wild Card Winner by event attendees.
3. The Wild Card Winner will receive 50% of their cash award within thirty (30) days of the Competition Awards Event. The balance of the prize money will be paid in Q4 of the Competition Year based on compliance with the above requirements as well as a demonstrated effort to move forward on the winning venture concept. Winning teams must provide a written confirmation of the use of initial Award proceeds as well as a spending plan for the balance of the prize money. Owner compensation expenses are not considered eligible expenses in the spending plan.

tecBRIDGE and its community volunteers are not responsible for technical, hardware, or software failures of any kind; lost or unavailable network connections; failed, incomplete, garbled, or delayed computer transmissions; lost, misdirected, incorrect or incomplete entries; or entries that cannot be opened by tecBRIDGE, or travel difficulties of any kind, whether caused by tecBRIDGE, or the judges, or you, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Competition, or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions that may limit a participant’s or team’s ability to participate in the Competition. BY ENTERING, PARTICIPANTS AND TEAMS RELEASE tecBRIDGE, THEIR SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, JUDGES, SPONSORS, AND ALL PRIZE SUPPLIERS FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY INJURIES, LOSSES, OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND RESULTING FROM ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, OR USE OF ANY PRIZE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE COMPETITION, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.