Preparing to Enter the Tournament

Welcome to the beginning of your quest!

The Business Venture Tournament is an opportunity to win up to $3,000 in start-up money for your new venture. A Venture is any idea that plans to form an organization of some type to fulfill a purpose after you graduate. For example, services to a disadvantaged population, humanitarian services, wildlife & animal services, resource centers, energy production and/or usage, alternative transportation methods, and even telecommunication ideas – any great idea will do. THINK BIG!

All Southern Oregon University undergraduates (Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshman) from any discipline are eligible to participate in the Business Venture Tournament.

Majors and Programs from the following Academic Schools may participate:

• The School of Arts & Communications
• The School of Education, Leadership, Health, and Humanities
• The School of Social Sciences
• The School of Science & Business

You may have yet to think about your capstone or project. Visit your program advisor to learn about the requirements for your capstone course. Then consider what your passions are. What will you do after graduation? What ideas excite you? How can you make the world a better place? Think BIG – REALLY BIG. Please write a title and a short description of your idea. You will share the title and description in the entry form.

Suppose you start your own company or organization with a new product or service after graduation. In that case, the Tournament is the perfect support to help you achieve your goals. The competition requires you to submit the following

• A business venture plan outlining your new product or service idea. Your proposal can be for a real or fictitious company/organization.
• The plan contains research to support the marketability of your idea.
• Market the plan by campaigning for votes from SOU students through social media.
• Present the plan and idea to judges and convince them that your idea is the BEST

Do a great job, and you could win award money to support your future goals. You will also be exposed to business connections where you can form relationships to support and help you to succeed. The Tournament process is the same used when seeking investor money, and students gain hands-on experience developing and presenting the same items needed – including the money!

Every Tournament participant must take the mandatory Business Venture Workshop in Moodle. The FREE course guides students through the process of researching and investigating the marketability of their idea. Students who would like to receive credits for participation in the tournament may do so for the regular cost of tuition. Weekly activities will help keep you on track and provide instruction for the deliverables. Participants must remain active in the course until after the final competition.

Before you submit your entry form, make sure to browse this website to understand the Tournament and expectations. If you have questions, please reach out to the Tournament Headquarters.