Presentation Guidelines

Presentation Format

In the Semifinalist and Wildcard Rounds, each team will be given thirty (30) minutes total to present its business plan and answer questions from the judges. In the Finalist Round, each team will be given thirty-five (35) minutes total to present its business plan and answer questions from the judges. During Semifinalist, Wildcard, and Finalist Presentations, the judges may ask questions at any time while teams are presenting. Teams are advised to prepare a presentation lasting approximately fifteen (15) minutes. THESE TIME LIMITS WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED. There will be approximately 10 minutes between each presentation for set-up and preparation. Each member of the team present at the competition must participate in the formal presentation of the plan.

Teams may not observe other teams' presentations or question and answer sessions in their track until after they have presented their own plan. A team, once it has finished its presentation, may observe the presentation and question and answer sessions of the teams that follow it.

Equipment Needs

Venture Challenge™ will provide each team with access to microphones, projectors, display screens and power outlets during their presentation. The organizers of the event do not provide Internet access or access to audio/visual equipment such as televisions, VCRs, DVD players or remote devices for the projectors, etc. These items may be available through the event site. All student teams should bring their own laptop computer with a VGA port or an appropriate adapter in order to connect to the projectors provided by the EMC for your presentation. Your laptop must also be able to display a resolution of 1024x768 pixels. Technical assistance will not be provided. USB flash drives are not acceptable, as there will not be a computer provided to run them. All video must be in NTSC format.

Presentation Attendees

All public sessions of the competition, including but not limited to oral presentations and question and answer sessions, are open to the public at large. Further, it is likely that any and all of these public sessions will be broadcast to interested persons through media, which may include radio, television and the Internet. Any data or information discussed or divulged in public sessions by entrants should be considered information that will likely enter the public realm, and entrants should not assume any right of confidentiality to any data or information discussed, divulged or presented in these sessions. Neither San Diego State University (SDSU), the Entrepreneurial Management Center (EMC) nor their designate organizations assume any duty to screen or otherwise control the identity of those attending, viewing or hearing all or part of these public sessions, and entrants agree that by entering the competition they have been made aware that such attendees, viewers and recipients may include members of the media and potential competitors in addition to members of the financial community, students and faculty.

Evaluation

Evaluations take place in two parts & judges evaluate the written plans prior to the competition, and then re-evaluate plans based on the oral presentation by each team. Each presentation is given a maximum of 15 minutes, followed by a 20-minute question and answer session. The final decision is based on the judges qualitative evaluation and group consultation during the deliberation session following the presentations. Ultimately, judges will consider the entire business concept, looking at overall feasibility, capital gains potential, attractive investment possibilities and actual implementation. Judges, reviewers, staff or the audience will not be asked to agree to or sign non-disclosure statements for any participants.

Recording Presentations

Student entrants agree to allow San Diego State University and the Entrepreneurial Management Center to videotape the oral presentations and the question and answer sessions. SDSU may market and distribute these videos. By participating in the competition, student entrants agree to grant San Diego State University (SDSU), the Entrepreneurial Management Center (EMC) and/or organizations designated by them the unlimited right to videotape, audiotape, transcribe or otherwise record all public sessions of the competition, including but not limited to oral presentations and question/answer sessions. All entrants agree that SDSU, the EMC and/or their designate organizations may use any such transcriptions and/or recording(s) (in whole or part) for such publicity and marketing purposes as SDSU, the EMC and/or their designate organizations may see fit, including those which may result in profit.