Up-Start! Competition 2014

•  The Up-Start! Competition is a business pitch competition open to participants of Entrepreneurship 101!

•  10 individuals/teams give a 10-minute pitch !

•  Panel of judges select winner of cash prize of $15,000!

•  Audience selects ‘People’s Choice Winner’

Up-Start! Competition Eligibility

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Entrants must be enrolled in Entrepreneurship 101 and have attended at least 20 lectures in person or by webcast. Eligible businesses fall into one of the 3 MaRS sectors:!•  Information technology, communications and entertainment (ICE) •  Cleantech, physical sciences and advanced materials •  Life sciences and healthcare

Entrants must have received no more than $100K in investment money and earned no more than $100K in cumulative revenue since inception.

Up-Start! Competition Overview

Stage 1: Entrepreneur's Toolkit Workshops - The Up-Start! Edition (Dec) •  Chance for interested applicants to refine their value proposition, business model

and pitch. Apply before December 4, 2013. Stage 2: Competition Entry (Jan) •  Submit a 3-page Executive Summary by Friday January 31st, 2014 to

entrepreneurship101@marsdd.com •  Select entrants/teams interview with a MaRS Advisory Services advisor •  10 entrants/teams will be selected to participate in the pitch competition

Up-Start! Competition Overview

Stage 3: Pitch Preparation with MaRS Advisors (Mar – Apr) •  10 finalists will be assigned a MaRS Advisor to assist them in honing their

business plan and preparing their pitch Stage 4: Pitch Competition on May 14th, 2014 •  Each participant gives 10-minute pitch presentation to a panel of judges followed

by 5 minutes of Q&A from the judges •  Prizes awarded at a reception following the competition *Presentations made under cover of Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) - all audience members are required to sign !

Criteria for Judging

•  Has the summary/presentation clearly articulated the value proposition? •  Has the summary/presentation demonstrated market opportunity? •  Has the summary/presentation demonstrated a sustainable business

model that will make money, or, in the case of a venture with a social purpose, make money and have the desired social impact?

•  Has the summary/presentation demonstrated competitive differentiation/intellectual capital?

•  How effective was the overall presentation? •  Would you invest or back this opportunity?

Submission Deadline

Please send a three-page Executive Summary to entrepreneurship101@marsdd.com

by Friday, January 31st, 2014.

Enquiries can be directed to the same email address.

marsdd.com/upstart!

!Part 1: Launching Customer Discovery

Learn more about the lean startup approach and launch your customer discovery process.  

The Up-Start! Edition

Part 3: Designing your Business Model

Design a sustainable business model using the Business Model Canvas.  

Part 2: Crafting your Value Proposition

Learn tools to identify your target customers and better articulate the value offering of your venture.  

Part 4: Perfecting Your Pitch

Use key principles of effective communication to create an effective investor pitch.  

Registration: upstartworkshops-edition2014.eventbrite.com

!December 18, 2013 Part 1: Launching Customer Discovery

The Up-Start! Edition

January 15, 2014 Part 3: Designing your Business Model  

January 8, 2014 Part 2: Crafting your Value Proposition

January 22, 2014 Part 4: Perfecting Your

Pitch

Space limited. Apply by December 4, 2013! Registration: upstartworkshops-edition2014.eventbrite.com