Business Plan Contests

Ben Franklin Venture Investment Forum, in conjunction with Ben Franklin Technology Partners, will sponsor seven regional $25,000 BIG IDEA Business Plan Competitions in partnership with the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) located at Kutztown, Shippensburg, Penn State, Gannon, Clarion, Saint Francis, and Lock Haven Universities during the 2007-2008 academic year.

The contest schedule is as follows:

Contest	Eligible Counties	Application Deadline	Contact
Clarion	Armstrong, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, Venango	September 17	sbdc@clarion.edu
St. Francis	Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset	October 1	BPContest@francis.edu
Kutztown	Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon	October 9	leister@kutztown.edu
Lock Haven	Clinton, Lycoming, Tioga	October 9	BPContest@lhup.edu
Gannon	Crawford, Erie, Mercer, Warren	November 19	gusbdc@gannon.edu
Shippensburg	Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, York	February 28	sbdc@ship.edu
Penn State	Centre, Mifflin	March 3	sbdc@psu.edu

For information on any of these contests, click above or contact Venture Investment Forum at (717) 948-6625, or by e-mail at BPContest@psu.edu.