$50,000 Cash and Prizes. Do you have a business idea, or a startup in need of professional or financial support? THE CLIMB | Jake Jabs Business Plan Competition is an annual business challenge for collegiate and community students looking to succeed as entrepreneurs. With up to $50,000 in cash and prizes available and valuable networking and mentorship opportunities throughout the competition, this is a remarkable opportunity to bring your business ideas to life.
Submissions for THE CLIMB are open now through Sept. 30 via jakejabscenter.org. Interested applicants are required to submit a 90-second video pitch and a brief executive summary in addition to completing the competition submission form. It is a simple application process with the only primary restriction being that the company or business concept submitted is not older than two years and has not received any prior seed, angel, or venture capital funding.
THE CLIMB | Jake Jabs Business Plan Competition is a business development event for collegiate startups based in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico and Arizona, as well as non-collegiate startups in Colorado. Established by the Jake Jabs Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship at University of Colorado Denver, THE CLIMB is a five-stage competition that helps entrepreneurs transform concepts into viable businesses through mentorship, education, financial support and real-world business exchanges. With more than 500 mentor hours shared and $1 million awarded to date, THE CLIMB celebrates 15 years of guiding entrepreneurial thinkers and shaping the Colorado startup community.
Many former participants of THE CLIMB competition have succeeded in establishing their entrepreneurial ventures, including Rob Carpenter, who won first place in the 2012 Business Plan Competition with his company AppIt Ventures. AppIt is a full-service mobile application development company that makes affordable apps which are easy to use, beautifully designed, and help entrepreneurs succeed.
“Winning the Business Plan Competition in 2012 fundamentally changed the growth trajectory for AppIt Ventures. The prize money and connections we made were invaluable, but the access to media and a wider audience yielded clients that we’ve been working with for years,” Carpenter said. “So when the question is asked about how the Jake Jabs Center [Business Plan Competition] has helped my business, it has put me in a place I’d never dreamt of.”
Submit your business ideas to THE CLIMB | Jake Jabs Business Plan Competition by Sept. 30 for the chance to take your startup to new heights. Visit jakejabscenter.org for additional information, or email jakejabs.center@ucdenver.edu.
To receive FREE professional advice from industry experts about creating a business plan, register for THE CLIMB Startup and Business Plan Workshops Sept. 22, 6-9 p.m. at Galvanize Platte Campus. Registration is free and includes networking opportunities, mentoring, and free appetizers. Plan to attend to learn more about the competition and how to perfect your business plan submission before the Sept. 30 deadline.
