Wharton's Black MBA Students Offer $10,000

The 33rd Annual Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Conference is proud to once again announce its 10th New Venture Competition.

The top three finalists will be invited to present their plans during the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, December 2, 2006.

Objective
Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Conference is focused on early-stage new ventures. The primary purpose of the New Venture Competition is to provide entrepreneurs of African descent the opportunity to present their ideas for growth companies to an illustrious panel of investors and venture capitalists.

Eligibility: The competition is open to African-American entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs of African descent, and teams containing at least one African-American founder or person of African descent. Entrepreneurs are not required to have any affiliation with The Wharton School and/or the University of Pennsylvania, but all Stage III finalists are required to register for the Conference.

Developed businesses i.e. those that are already generating revenue, are not eligible for this competition. Only new start-up companies are eligible.

Stage I:
Submission of a business plan application and executive summary, describing the proposed venture
Deadline: October 27th, 2006
Applicants notified of status: November 3rd, 2006

Stage II:
The most viable applicants will be invited to submit a complete business plan.
Deadline: November 10th, 2006
Applicants notified of status: November 18th, 2006

Stage III:
The top 3 applicants from Stage II will be invited to present at the WMY Conference on December 2, 2006.

Stage III finalists will present their business plans at the New Venture Competition at the 33rd Annual Whitney M. Young Memorial Conference, held on December 2, 2006. Finalists will be provided with assistance to improve their presentations before the conference. Each finalist is guaranteed a prize and must be registered for the Conference.

Entrepreneurs who are not selected for the final presentation are encouraged to attend the WMY Conference and use the opportunity to network with their peers and investment professionals in attendance.