The Houston Community College Center for Entrepreneurship is preparing for the 14th annual HCC Business Plan Competition. We invite you to join 50 to 60 other experienced entrepreneurial, business and technology experts.
Advisors are a powerful and sustaining thread in the program; as an Advisor you will have an opportunity to help entrepreneurs of all ages who are entering the HCC Business Plan Competition to take expert advice and use it to become more successful.
Twenty-five entrepreneur teams will be accepted into the 2021 Competition. We accept proposed, startup and existing companies who are entering to create refined and polished plans to start and/or grow their businesses. Each team (of 1 to 5 contestants) will move through the competition training and advising from late February through May. Each of the contestant teams will be matched with two expert Advisors. If you become an Advisor, you will be matched to a team based on your areas of expertise and the team's business concept and needs. Advisors are critical to the success of the Competition.
The Role of the Advisor is to:
Encourage contestants to meet deadlines and complete competition;
Review contestants' work regularly;
Advise and guide contestants pointing out deficiencies and making suggestions;
Lead by example: meet commitments, keep contestant(s) positive, encourage timeliness and complete work, follow-up on status of suggestions made at previous meeting; and
Serve as a Business Plan Reviewer.
Your time commitment is about 20-25 hours from February through May 2021.
This includes:
Optional Virtual Advisor Orientation on February 9th, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Advisors only - no competition applicants/contestants.
We request advisors attend at least four of the six sessions:
Tuesday evenings from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm
February 23, March 9, March 23, April 6, April 20 and May 11.
One-on-one virtual meetings usually held immediately before or after one of the virtual training sessions and up until plans are due on May 10. Slide presentations and one minute videos are due on May 17.
Optional Attendance at Business Plan Pitches on June 3, 2021 if your Team Makes the Finals!
Optional Attendance at Awards Ceremony - June 10, 2021 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Give the Business Plan Contestants the advice and guidance you wish you had when you started or wanted to grow your business. New and Returning, please use the link below that applies to you to submit your interest and tell us a bit about your area of expertise. This helps us review submissions, connect and fit advisors with the right teams and business concepts.
Timing - We are currently receiving Advisor submissions and will do so throughout the January contestant application period as we prepare to choose the teams that will be accepted into the competition. Contestant applications will be reviewed in the first two weeks of February during the time we also hold our Advisor Orientation and move to solidify the 2021 Advisor Cohort. This leads to pairing teams with Advisors in the third week of February, by considering advisors' experience and each accepted team's business concept. Competition Training begins February 23. We will respond to your submission throughout this period nearing the competition.
Thank you for your time and consideration! Being of service as a volunteer advisor can change the lives of these entrepreneurs!
Advisors New to This Competition - If you have not yet served as an advisor in this Competition, please click below on our new advisor quick form to submit your interest and introduce yourself:
Returning Advisors - For those of you who have previously served as an Advisor for this Competition, please click on this link and complete the mini - form to say 'yes' and we would be honored to have you with us again:
OUR MISSION: To help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. We do this by offering workshops, seminars, summits, classes and competitive training and advising, while also providing practical knowledge, resources and connections.
Lead by example: meet commitments, keep contestant(s) positive, encourage timeliness and complete work, follow-up on status of suggestions made at previous meeting; and
Six Contestant Training Sessions
