The St. Thomas Business Plan Competition is open to all St. Thomas students and recent alumni with plans for a new company or with a business that’s been incorporated less than 12 months.
Have you participated in the Fowler Business Concept Challenge, the Lemonade Stand or any other business competition? This is the logical next step to get your plans on paper, move your business forward and get paid in the process.
There are two divisions of competition – undergraduate and graduate/recent alumni – with a top prize in each of $10,000 cash. Additional prizes totaling $8,000 more are awarded to teams that advance to the finals division.
New for 2023: The Fowler Global Social Innovation Award (FGSIC)
If your business is a social venture, you have the opportunity to compete for an additional award. You will self-select for this award during the submission process. Finals for the FGSIC will take place in the morning before the Business Plan Competition Finals. You must advance to the finals round in the Business Plan Competition to be eligible for the FGSIC special award.
Teams competing in the finals of the Fowler Global Social Innovation Award of the Business Plan Competition will win a minimum of $500 and a first place prize of $6,000.
The top two teams will automatically represent St. Thomas as Global Finalists in June for the chance to compete for prizes ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 for first place.
The FGSIC invites teams to engage with one or more of the United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants can address any social or environmental problem of their choice as long as it is aligned with at least one of the Global Goals.
To submit to the FGSIC you must complete a 3-5 page summary in addition to your Business Plan submission. To learn more about the requirements, visit the FGSIC website.