New York Business Plan Competition: Capital Region

The 12th Annual New York Business Plan Competition for the Capital Region will be hosted at Hudson Valley Community College on Friday, April 5, 2024.

Important Deadlines

Team Application Due Date - March 1, 2024
Submit team information indicating interest in participating in the event on the NYBPC website.
Final Submission Due Date - March 31, 2024
Final submissions must include a brief company description, video pitch (8 minutes) and slide deck.

About the Competition

The 2024 New York Business Plan Competition will feature regional competitions in New York’s ten geographic zones – Capital Region, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes, Western New York, Southern Tier, Mid-Hudson, New York City and Long Island - followed by a final, statewide competition with three rounds, leading to the Finals on April 25, 2024.

The regional semifinals are hosted by local partner colleges and universities in March and April. The top teams from each of the ten regions advance to the final round of the statewide competition. The winners will be selected by esteemed judges, including venture capitalists, angel investors, investment bankers, experienced entrepreneurs and leaders from the business community.

Apply to Compete Sponsorship Opportunities

Learn More

Agenda for Capital Region Business Plan Competition

Friday, April 5, 2024
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Hudson Valley Community College
Bulmer Telecommunications Center (BTC)

10 a.m.
Team Registration and Breakfast
BTC Meeting Rooms 1 - 3
10:30 a.m.
Welcome: Ricky Thibodeau, Department Chair, Business & Criminal Justice
Host: Dr. Tyler Kessel, Dean, Business & Liberal Arts
Opening Remarks: Dr. Jonathan Ashdown, Executive Dean, HVCC North Campus
BTC Meeting Rooms 1 - 3
10:45 a.m.
Room Assignment Announcement/Logistics
11 a.m.
Pitch and Q&A Track Sessions
Safety, Power & Mobility: BTC Meeting Room 1
Health & Well-Being: BTC 206
Food & Agricultural Technology: BTC Meeting Room 1
Learn, Work, & Live: ADM 106
Product & Hardware: BTC Meeting Room 3
Software & Services: BTC Meeting Room 2
2:15 p.m.
Judge Deliberation/Networking & Refreshments
BTC Meeting Rooms 1 - 3
2:30 p.m.
Individual Track Awards
BTC Meeting Rooms 1 - 3
2:45 p.m.
Capital Region Cup (1st Track Winners from each room presents)
BTC Meeting Rooms 1 - 3
3:45 p.m.
Judge Deliberation
4 p.m.
Capital Cup Award Ceremony
BTC Meeting Rooms 1 - 3

General Timeline

Nov. 17, 2023

Capital District Regional Competition Information Session and Kickoff (virtual)

November 2023 - March 2024

Teams develop ideas for products, services, etc.
Work with mentors to refine pitch

Jan. 1, 2024

Applications for the 2023-2024 NYBPC season will open Jan. 1, 2024 on the NYBPC website. Students will fill out the application and will be contacted by their regional organizers for next steps.

March 1, 2024

NYBPC Application Deadline. If eligible, students will receive an invitation to participate with submission details by March 8, 2024.

March 31, 2024

Final Submissions - Must be submitted by March 31, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Final submissions must include a brief company description, video pitch (8 minutes) and slide deck.

April 1 - 4, 2024

Judges review of team submissions
Students prepare for live pitch and Q&A

April 5, 2024

Capital District Regional Competition Day at HVCC.
Each team will present an eight-minute pitch and there will be six minutes allotted for Q&A.
Final judging and announcement of winning regional teams

NYBPC Finals Competition - Three Rounds

Round One: (Asynchronous and Online)
- April 9, 2024 at midnight: Student deadline to submit materials for the state finals.
- April 10 - April 17, 2024: First round judges will review submissions.
- April 17, 2024: Judges will deliberate and choose the top teams from each track to move onto Round Two.
Round Two: (Live and In-person)
- April 25, 2024 in the Capital Region
  9 a.m. - noon: The top teams from each track will pitch live to judges. Pitches will be eight minutes and followed by six minutes of Q&A.
  Noon: Track winners announced live. The top team in each track will move on to the Grand Prize Finals.
Round Three: Grand Prize Finals (Live and In-person)
- April 25, 2024 in the Capital Region
  Afternoon: The first place team from each track will pitch live for the NYBPC Grand Prize.

Competition Philosophy and Mission

Philosophy

Entrepreneurship is vital to support a thriving economy.
Entrepreneurial skills are invaluable - including problem-solving, communication, economics, creativity, resilience, and accountability, regardless of students’ career paths.
The intercollegiate competition platform is an important experiential anchor for students from all backgrounds and ventures of all types

Mission

The NYBPC’s mission has three parts:

develop entrepreneurial mindsets and skills through experiential learning
facilitate building personal networks between participants and the broader business community
launch new ventures

Competition Structure

The NYBPC consists of two levels of competition. Regional competitions are generally held in March/April in all ten regions across New York. The winners of these competitions move on to the statewide finals. All regional competitions follow this rulebook and scoring rubric, but format and timing of the regional competitions vary.

Students are assigned to one regional competition based on the location of their school. If the team has members in different regions, the first student listed is considered primary and the team will compete in the associated region.

All students fill out the NYBPC central application to begin. The application opens in January and can be found through the New York Business Plan Competition website. Check the website for the deadlines specific to each regional competition.

The teams finishing in first and second places within each track at regional competitions are invited to compete in the statewide final competition, provided the regional judges deem the teams prepared for statewide competition. All student competitors are invited to attend the finals to build their networks and knowledge of entrepreneurship. Finalists submit their pitch videos and slide decks approximately two weeks prior to the first round of the finals competition.

The NYBPC Final Competition has three parts:

First Round: The first round of finals is held online in mid-April. Up to twenty teams in each of six tracks are judged asynchronously online over the course of several days, by business and industry professionals. The top teams advance to the next round.
Track Winners: For the second round, the top teams in each track are invited to pitch live to a panel of judges, with live Q&A on April 25, 2024 in the Capital Region. The track winners are announced the same day.
Grand Prize Finals: First place track winners are invited to compete for the NYBPC Grand Prize, live and in-person on April 25, 2024 in the Capital Region, as part of Upstate Capital’s Venture NY event. Timing and location details will be published on https://nybpc.org/.

All students are invited to the NYBPC Finals event to cheer for their teammates, meet mentors, attend workshops and gain exposure to entrepreneurial resources from across New York. The in-person NYBPC Grand Prize pitch will be limited in attendance, but will be streamed online.

Each region is invited to send two teams per track. No alternate teams are invited to compete. Regional coordinators must email a list of winners and team contact information within 48 hours of the completion of their competition. Once those lists are received, eligible teams will receive instructions for submitting their final presentations.

Resources

Example Presentations

RHM Innovations: Courtney Burris (University at Buffalo) + Brandon Davis Burris (University of Rochester), (2023 Grand Prize Winner, pitching at the NYBPC Finals)
Photonect: Juniyali Nauriyal and Sushant Kumar, University of Rochester (2022 Grand Prize)
Step2,3 LLC: Shannon Sincere Dawson, SUNY at Purchase College (2022 GRYT Health Award)

We would like to thank the following for sponsoring this initiative:
NOTE: listing last updated April 3, 2024