A starting point for new business ideas
The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship's Business Plan Competition was started in 1998 by Seattle University faculty member Emeritus Harriet Stevenson, who began teaching in 1967. When asked what prompted her to start the competition, she responded, “To build credibility. I wanted to be part of a group of leaders in developing entrepreneurship programs on the West Coast.”
The Harriet Stevenson Business Plan Competition (HSBPC) is designed to help students and alumni launch new business ventures, including for-profit, non-profit, entrepreneurial and social enterprises. Participants will enhance their learning experience at Seattle University, get feedback on their ideas, network and expose their ideas to potential investors.
The contest has served as a testing ground for a wide range of business ideas at Seattle University, from an automated sunscreen dispenser to a nonprofit school for children with autism, and has awarded more than $400,000 in prize money, starting many former contestants on their entrepreneurial journeys.
Teams led by Seattle University students and alumni will win the $20,000 top prize after three rounds of judging and feedback.
The HSBPC is a public event, with an audience of hundreds of investors, advisors, business leaders, community members, students, alumni and faculty.
