WBPC Details :: The Competition
The Competition
The Wharton Business Plan Competition (WBPC) is not just about ideas. The WBPC is a comprehensive, 7-month platform to help entrepreneurs and their teams launch their new business ideas. The WBPC is structured in three phases to help teams develop their plans in both a collaborative and competitive environment. The WBPC’s entrepreneurship workshops feature entrepreneurship experts including Wharton entrepreneurship professors and Wharton graduates who have started their own businesses. The WBPC provides a network for brainstorming, feedback, and future business opportunities. Participating teams develop their ideas with the guidance from top business leaders who serve as mentors and judges. Finally, the top three finalists receive national press attention and share $70,000 in cash and prizes to jumpstart their businesses.
The WBPC is among the leading global university-run business plan competitions. The WBPC was launched in 1998 by the Wharton Entrepreneurship Club and is now part of Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs, which co-manages the event with a specially selected student committee. The WBPC is open to all students at the University of Pennsylvania and, since its inception, has drawn over 150 student teams annually, comprising nearly 400 participants from Schools across the University of Pennsylvania.
Process
The Wharton Business Plan Competition is a three-phase process that allows participants to enhance their understanding of starting a business and to develop their business ideas in collaborative and competitive environments. The Competition culminates in the Venture Finals, in which the Great Eight finalists compete for the top three prizes.
Teams must register on the WBPC website. Each phase’s submissions are posted through the website. Teams do not need to register or participate in Phase I to compete in Phase II. Phase II participation is mandatory to move on to Phase II.
