The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship

Business Plan Competitions

During the second semester in the Wolff Center, our students form Intellectual Property (IP) business plan teams to represent WCE and the Bauer College of Business in coveted business plan competitions held throughout the world. Each team chooses an IP that is either licensed from the University of Houston or from NASA. In a year long process, our students build a real-world, commercially viable business plan around this technology with the goal of getting it into market. The teams are guided through the process by WCE professors and an outside mentoring advisory group.

Since the fall of 2014, WCE has held an annual internal Business Plan Competition. All of the IP teams compete for the chance to win monetary prizes to further fund the development of their technology. In addition, the winner (or top two teams) is given the opportunity to be the traveling competition team in the spring semester for business plan competitions across the country. The selected team/s receive a high level of mentoring on the entrepreneurial process, as well as writing and presenting their business plan in a cogent fashion.

Over the last 15 years, WCE students have won more than 50 awards in national business plan competitions, with more first, second or third place awards than any other undergraduate program in North America.

2018 Business Plan Competitions

Competition	Host	Team(s)	Placement	Money Won
HCC Ideas Pitch Competition	HCC Houston	Zapp	First	$1,500
WCE Internal Business Plan Competition	WCE	Zapp	First	$2,500
Texas Business Plan Competition	University of Texas-Austin	PolarPanel	Fourth	$1,000
Rice Business Plan Competition	Rice University	PolarPanel	Second-Wildcard Flight	$700
MIT Clean Energy Prize	MIT	PolarPanel	Second	$20,000
Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs	Smith College Boston	Zapp	Top 10	$1,000
TCU Values and Ventures	TCU	Zapp	Honorable Mention	$250
Texas A&M New Ventures Competition	Texas A&M University	PolarPanel	Third-Elevator Pitch	$2,000
Department of Energy Cleantech University Prize	Rice University	PolarPanel	Third	$20,000
Total Winnings				$48,950

2017 Business Plan Competitions

Competition	Host	Team(s)	Placement	Money Won
Houston Maker Faire	HCC Houston	Vesence	First	$1,500
WCE Internal Business Plan Competition	WCE	Vesence	First	$2,500
WCE Internal Business Plan Competition	WCE	Vesence	Audience Favorite	$250
Draper Competition for Collegiate Women Entrepreneurs	Smith College Boston	Vesence	Third	$2,500
FLOW (Department of Energy's Regional Competition)	Cal Tech	Vesence	First	$50,000
Total Winnings				$56,750

2016 Business Plan Competitions

Competition	Host	Team(s)	Placement	Money Won
San Diego State Business Model Competition	San Diego State University	Sensytec	First	$10,000
Tulane Business Model Competition	Tulane University	Sensytec	Second	$10,000
Rice Business Plan Competition	Rice University	Sensytec	First-Consolation Group	$1,500
BYU International Business Model Competition	Brigham Young University	Sensytec	Semi Finals	$2,000
Carnegie Mellon Business Plan Competition	Carnegie Mellon University	Sensytec	First	$6,500
California Dreamin'	Chapman University	Sensytec	Second-Elevator Pitch	$1,000
WCE Internal Business Plan Competition	WCE	Sensytec	First	$2,500
Texas A&M New Ventures Competition	Texas A&M University	Sensytec	Second	$50,000
National Science Foundation Grant		REEcycle	Grant	$750,000
Total Winnings				$833,500

2015 Business Plan Competitions

Competition	Host	Team(s)	Placement	Money Won
Houston Open	University of Houston-Downtown	WAVVE	First	$5,000
Venturewell Grant		WAVVE	Grant	$30,000
UH Gap Fund Grant		WAVVE	Grant	$50,000
California Dreamin'	Chapman University	WAVVE	Third	$15,000
Hello Tomorrow	NGO in Paris, France	WAVVE	First	$15,000
SXSW Eco		WAVVE		$2,000
SEAL		WAVVE		$5,000
Open Minds		WAVVE		$2,000
Texas A&M New Ventures Competition		WAVVE	Semi Finals	$2,000
Sustainable Entrepreneurship Award		WAVVE		$2,000
LES Competition		WAVVE	First	$15,000
Baylor New Venture Competition	Baylor University	Zeolytic	Second	$15,000
TCU Values and Ventures-Elevator Pitch	TCU	PuruS	Second	$500
TOTAL WINNINGS				$158,500

2014 Business Plan Competitions

Competition	Host	Team(s)	Placement	Money Won
Tulane Business Model Competition	Tulane University	REEcycle	Third	$2,500
International Business Model Competition at BYU	Brigham Young University	REEcycle	Second	$20,000
Global New Venture Competition	University of Nebraska- Lincoln	Energetik	First	$4,000
Giants Entrepreneurship Challenge	University of North Dakota	CARA	First	$5,000
California Dreamin'	Chapman University	WAVVE	Third	$30,000
MIT Clean Energy Prize	MIT	REEcycle	First	$2,500
National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition	US Department of Energy	REEcycle	First	$70,000
FLOW (Department of Energy's Regional Competition)	Cal Tech	REEcycle	First	$100,000
Baylor New Venture Competition	Baylor University	REEcycle	First	$25,000
Rice Business Plan Competition	Rice University	WAVVE	Third	$16,500
Global Student Business Plan Competition	College of the Bahamas	WAVVE	First	$5,000
TCU Values and Ventures	TCU	Energetik	Third	$15,000
NSF I-Corps Grant		WAVVE	Grant	$50,000
Goradia (HTC)		WAVVE	Semi Finals	$5,000
TOTAL WINNINGS				$350,500

 

Previous Years in Business Plan Competitions:

• 2013: 1st place - California Dreamin’ Competition at Chapman University
• 2012: 1st place - Nebraska Innovation Competition at UNL
• 2012: 1st place - Richards Barrentine Values & Ventures Business Plan Competition at TCU
• 2012: 2nd place - California Dreamin’ Competition at Chapman University
• 2012: Top 10 - Venture Challenge t San Diego State University
• 2011: 3rd Place - Value & Ventures Business Plan Competition
• 2011: Best Written Plan - Values & Ventures Business Plan Competition
• 2010: 2nd Place - Evansville New Venture Creation Competition
• 2010: 1st Place - New Venture World Competition at UNL
• 2007: 3rd Place - Northwest Venture Championship
• 2005: 2nd Place - Enterprise Creation Competition
• 2004: 1st Runner-up - Northwest Venture Competition
• 2004: 1st Place - Division 1 Northwest Venture Competition
• 1999: 2nd Place - Donald Duncan/Duncan Aviation Business Plan Competition
• 1998: 2nd Place - Enterprise Creation Competition

 

 

In addition, the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship hosts two of its own competitions:

• Wolffest
• 3 Day Startup