Welcome to Business Idea Competition at ATA 2016 – Chicago

Welcome to the Business Conference page! We look forward to meeting you at the ATA 14th ATA Conference & Youth Convention and Silver Jubilee Celebrations at Rosemont Convention Center, Chicago, IL. We have very exciting topics and guest speakers lined up for the conference. Please continue to check the website for updates.

BUINSESS IDEA COMPETETION DETAILS OF 2016

ATA Business Committee is excited to present “Business Idea Competition” at the 14th ATA Conference & Youth Convention and Silver Jubilee Celebrations. The competition aims to utilize the experience and knowledge of successful entrepreneurs to promote innovative ideas of the youth and upcoming entrepreneurs. The competition will provide an excellent platform for young entrepreneurs,small and medium business owners, and recent graduates to share their vision and entrepreneurial skills to potential investors, venture capitalists and experienced professionals in fields such as IT, medicine, science, finance, and education. The competition will be held on 3rd July, 2016 at the Rosemont Convention Center Chicago, IL.

There are no restrictions on eligibility and no entry fee. Participants are allowed to work in teams or individually. Every individual or team is allowed to submit one idea which must be their original work. The competition will be held in two rounds, the first of which will be the application round. Around 10 ideas will be selected from the application round to move on to the presentation round. The details for each round and eligibility requirements are provided below.

Schedule:

• Deadline to apply: June 10, 2016 (Max: 5 Pages) via email business@ataconference.org
• Deadline to apply: June 10, 2016 (Max: 5 Pages) via email business@ataconference.org

First (Application) Round

• Interested individuals or teams should submit their Business Overview
• The Business Overview cannot exceed 5 pages single space in length, including any graphs or charts
• Use one inch margins and 12 point font
• Summaries should be in the provided Word Template format
• About Ten individuals or teams (Mix includes Full Time Student Participants as well) will be selected from the application round to move onto the presentation round

The deadline to apply for the competition is June 10, 2016 via business@ataconference.org

Second (Presentation) Round

• Individuals and teams selected to advance to the presentation round will be responsible for the following:
• A power point slide deck or Video (Optional). The is no limit on the number of power point slide allowed
• A 10 minute presentation of their business idea
• A 10 minute question and answer session

Presentation Format:

• Each Presenter (or Team) will be given NO More than 10 Minutes for presentation.
• You can chose to “Pitch your Idea” with or without power point slides (We will provide Projector & Computer)
• You can chose a team to present
• Please bring your FINAL Presentation on USB on July 3rd . If you chose to, please send it via email to business@ataconference.orgby NLT 6:00 PM on July 2nd.
• Presentation should cover the same topics as in PHASE I Application Round– Proposed Product/Service and Market Opportunity, Revenue Model, Financial Projections and Execution Plan.
• Judges will have Q&A session if panelists want to elicit any missing information to get clarity.

Logistics:

To co-ordinate your entry to Convention Center for presentations, Please let us know if you are registered and attending ATA conference with your family/friends. (OR) if you need “Temporary Pass” to attend the Presentation.

This Temporary pass will only allow you to convention center between 1:30 and 5:30 PM on July 3rdh and will allow you to attend only the Business Idea Competition. If you need “Temporary Pass”, Please send me your details (Full Name, Contact Information – Email, Address and Phone Number) as soon as possible and NLT Tuesday, July 1 Noon. Please keep in mind that ATA Conference requires everyone to register to enter the convention center. If your friends/family members planning to attend the presentation along with you, Please make sure that they are registered for ATA Conference (1 day pass is available online – www.ataconference.org )

Final Results:

After the presentations are completed and based on judges final evaluation, We will announce Prizes on July 3 between 5:15 PM and 5:30 PM.

Presentation Guidance:

If you need pointers in preparation of presentation or general guidance as far as presentation, Mr. Sudhakar Garlanka graciously agreed to provide his assistance and his expertise. Please reach out to Mr. Sudhakar Garlanka at 703 626 7073 or via email sgarlanka@allwyncorp.com

TIME & Date:

Presentations are scheduled for July 3, between 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM. Finalists are required to be at Presentation Hall by NLT 1:30 PM on Sunday, July 3rd.Location: Rosemont Convention Center, Room TBD, Chicago, IL

Prizes:

There are cash prices for participants, the details of which are provided below. All finalists are also provided the opportunity to pitch their ideas to Venture Capitalists for potential Investment and/or potential internships.

Cash Prizes:

• Student Participants - First Prize - $1500, Second Prize - $1000, Third Prize - $500
• Others - First Prize - $2000, Second Prize - $1500, Third Prize - $1000

Judges & Venture Capitalists

The evaluation panel will include distinguished entrepreneurs and industry leaders along with successful venture capitalists.

• Raju Reddy, Hitachi Consulting
• Dayakar Puskoor, Naya Ventures
• Sri Peddy, Powerhouse Ventures
• Nar Koppula, AceInfo Ventures
• Ram Mattapalli, Zolon Ventures
• S. Garlanka, Allwyn Ventures
• Bhaskar Krishnamshetty and Kishore Kumar Nakka, NS Ventures
• Professors from: Wharton/GeorgeTown/Drexel/Duke
• BV Mohan Redd, NASSCOM Chairman, Founder Cyient

Business Plan Template

ATA Business Committee is providing participants the following template for ease of proposing their business idea. Please include the below topics in the five page business overview.

Proposed Product/Service

• Describe the value proposition and features.

Target Market

• What market needs does the product/service address?
• Who is the target customer?
• What is the estimated size and value of market (current and projected)?

Competitive Landscape

• Provide an overview of the competitive landscape.
• Describe the intellectual property associated with the business.
• What are your competitive strengths?
• Describe your competitors' strengths and weaknesses
• What are the barriers to entry?

Plan for Execution

• What is the current status of the business (i.e. proof of concept, design, prototype, etc.)?
• What amount of seed funding is required and how will funds be used?
• Provide 3-year financial projections.
• Outline milestones for the next 6-12 months.
• Provide background information on the founding team.

Risk Analysis

• Describe any risks/challenges inherent in the proposed plan.
• How do you intend to mitigate these risks and meet these challenges?

Revenue Model

• How does the company plan to generate revenue?

JUDGING CRITERIA

The business ideas will be evaluated using the following evaluation criteria.

Weightage

• Proposed Product/Service and Market Opportunity: 33%
• Revenue Model and Financial Projections: 33%
• Execution Plan: 33%

Proposed Product/Service and Market Opportunity (Weight: 33%)

• Is the value proposition sound?
• How original, innovative & thoughtful is the proposed product/service?
• Does the overview adequately describe the business' intellectual property?
• Does the overview clearly identify a target market?
• Does the overview identify other key market participants (competitors, potential partners, suppliers)?
• Is the target market sufficiently large?
• Does the business have any competitive advantage(s) over existing solutions?

Revenue Model and Financial Projections (Weight: 33%)

• Do the financial projections reflect an understanding of the economics and potential growth opportunities or downside risks for the business?
• Are the financial projections comprehensive and realistic?
• Is the revenue generation plan logical and comprehensive?

Execution Plan (Weight: 33%)

Please comment on the feasibility and completeness of the execution plan.

• Is the business operationally feasible?
• Does the submission clearly outline measurable, achievable milestones?
• Do the founding team members have sufficient expertise to launch the business?
• Does the plan address any needs for additional key people and strategies to attract these individuals?
• Does the overview identify the major relevant risks?
• Does the overview address the risks appropriately and/or provide contingency plans?
• Is the overview structurally logical?

Finalists from 2014 ATA Philadelphia Conference)

Congratulations to all the listed finalists and winners for Business Idea Competition of 2014 held in Philadelphia, PA. ATA Business Committee thank every participant, sponsor and speakers for making this first of its kind business conference in the history !