How to get started

Submit your idea!

Deadline: January 31

Get Started

To enter the contest, you will need to create a BPC account. BPC user accounts and contest entries are now managed through Reviewr, a trusted third-party SaaS provider engaged by the Tech Council. Select the “MY ACCOUNT” button above to get started. Each entry must be submitted in one of four categories – Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, Information Technology or Life Sciences.

 

At any point during the application process, you can select “save draft” to save your work. You can log back into your account (by clicking the “MY ACCOUNT” button in the top navigation bar or on select pages at govsbizplancontest.com and edit your Phase 1 entry up until 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 31. After the deadline, all entries will be considered final and you will receive a confirmation email that your entry has been received.

 

BPC contestants will use their account to submit their entries, as well as review judges’ comments and feedback.

 

For information on the contest timeline, eligibility requirements and ownership/confidentiality, please view the “About the Contest” drop-down menu at the top of the screen.

Templates & Sample Entries

Written and developed exclusively or in collaboration with the Wisconsin Technology Council, the BPC templates contained in this section are meant to demystify the expectations and written processes of the contest and aid you in effectively presenting your idea to the contest’s judges.

 

We hope the documents contained in this section are helpful to you as you move through the various phases of the competition.  It is important to note these templates are only samples of what submissions in the various phases of the competition could look like.  They are intended for informational purposes only.  You may choose to follow them closely or not at all; neither option guarantees your success in the competition.

 

Contestants can submit questions to a pool of BPC mentors at any point throughout the contest. Please email your question, along with all the relevant information, to mentors@govsbizplancontest.com.

Contest Guidelines

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PHASE 1: IDEA ABSTRACT
Submission Period: December 1, 2024 – January 31, 2025

Phase 1 of the competition includes an IDEA ABSTRACT of your plan, business or idea. Once you have logged in, you will be able to enter, view and edit your idea abstract.

 

The entry should be roughly 250 words (or no more than 2,000 characters – including spaces). Your idea abstract will be broken down into four sections – Product or service description; customer definition; market description, size and sales strategy; and competition. You are required to write something under every section. Please note that each text box has a limit of 500 characters. You are required to write something under every section.

 

Entries are judged by section on a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the highest. The Top 50 idea abstracts will advance to the next phase of the competition.

 

View the timeline page for the submission period. Click here to view a template and sample* entry.

 

*Sample answers are meant only to serve as an example of what an idea abstract could look like. Replicating the written elements of this sample entry will not necessarily guarantee your success.

PHASE 2: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Submission Period: February 17, 2025 – March 10, 2025

Contestants advancing to Phase 2 of the competition will be asked to write an EXECUTIVE SUMMARY of their business plan. Once you have logged in, you will be able to enter, view and edit your executive summary.

 

The entry should be no more than 1,000 words (or no more than 8,000 characters – including spaces). Your executive summary will be broken down into eight sections – company overview; product or service description; customer definition; market description, size & sales strategy; competition; management team; financials; and capital needs. You are required to write something under every section. Please note that each text box has a limit of 1,000 characters – including spaces.

 

Entries are judged by section on a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the highest. The top 25 executive summaries will advance to the next phase of the competition.

 

View the timeline page for the submission period. Click here to view a template and sample* entry.

 

*Sample answers are meant only to serve as an example of what an executive summary could look like.  Replicating the written elements of this sample Executive Summary will not necessarily guarantee your success.

PHASE 3: BUSINESS PLAN
Submission Period: March 31, 2025 – April 21, 2025

Those contestants advancing to Phase 3 of the competition will be asked to prepare a 15-minute “pitch deck” with audio voiceover. The first slide should contain all pertinent contact information for the contestant or lead contestant. Subsequent slides should elaborate on information from the same eight categories that were featured in your executive summary. However, in this round, your messaging will likely include charts and graphics to better tell your story while adding more detail.

 

In this round you should do more to identify what compelling advantage is provided. How does your plan specifically meet the market need? Can you quantify how that need is met? Why is your plan a good value proposition for investors? Why would someone be interested in investing in your company or idea?

 

Entries are judged by content and presentation on a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the highest. Based on judges’ final scores for Phase 3, three finalists will be chosen from each of the four categories (Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, Information Technology and Life Sciences).

 

View the timeline page for the submission period. Click here to view a pitch deck template meant to serve as a guide for completing Phase 3 of the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest.

 

….

DILIGENT DOZEN
June 2025

The “Diligent Dozen” will square off with presentations during the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in June. A Grand Prize winner will be chosen from among the category winners based on judges’ scoring of the presentations and Phase 3 written scores. All winners will be announced during the conference.