UNIDO’s 50th Anniversary Global Start-up Business Plan Competition

Target Group: potential and existing entrepreneur(s), aged between 18-35, with a new business idea or startup in an early stage.

Deadline for submission: 23 September 2016, by 00:00 CET (GMT+1)

The Global Start-up Business Plan Competition (GSBPC) aims to stimulate and unleash the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation among aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with ideas that contribute to their personal economic benefit and towards developing their communities.

The GSBPC calls on potential and existing entrepreneurs to participate by submitting their innovative entrepreneurial ideas by means of a Business Plan Template, which will be reviewed by a team of experts.

A number of criteria will be used to assess the applications. It is important to adequately address each of these factors, in order to successfully present a well-rounded business plan. Further details are available in the Business Plan Template. The main points to focus on are:

• The business idea – uniqueness, viability, relevance;
• The product and services – description, impact, market need;
• Competitor analysis – description, opportunities;
• Target market – definition;
• Marketing plan – nature, relevance, objectives;
• Start-up costs and financials.

The three participants or teams with the best business plans will be invited to attend the prize-winners’ event in Vienna on 21 to 25 November 2016, during the celebration of UNIDO’s 50th Anniversary.

They will also receive the following start-up capital: 

• 1st Place: $15,000
• 2nd Place: $10,000
• 3rd Place: $5,000

All three winners will additionally be rewarded with:

• A UNIDO certificate;
• Increased visibility for their start-up;
• A round-trip from home country to the UNIDO Headquarters in Vienna, Austria;
• Accommodation and health insurance in Vienna (from the 21 to 25 November 2016).

The top 50 applicants will receive:

Counselling and mentoring through UNIDO ITPO Bahrain (AICEI) for a period of 6 months.

Important: Applications must either be submitted through AICEI’s registration form website http://aicei.net/global-startup-business-plan-competition-registration-form/ or via email: business-plan@unido.org