Deadline: February 18, 2020 00:00 CET| Apply here
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Eligibility: The Arkansas Governor’s Cup is open to any full- or part-time, certificate- or a degree-seeking student currently enrolled at any of Arkansas’s accredited not-for-profit two- or four-year public, private, or independent colleges and universities.

Arkansas Governor’s Cup 2020

Arkansas Capital Corporation is proud to have championed 20 years of big ideas from college students in its management of the Governor’s Cup in partnership with sponsors who have invested $2.47 million into the competition since 2001.

Current Arkansas college and university students who want to explore a business idea or simply learn more about entrepreneurship are invited to compete in the 20th annual Governor’s Cup competition!

The all-cash prize pool for 2020 is $154,000, making the Governor’s Cup one of the richest events in the national collegiate business plan competition circuit.

Who should apply?

Teams are not required to start their businesses to compete. The Governor’s Cup is designed to increase student appreciation for the challenges that come with developing a viable business offering.

Through a real-world and rigorous competitive process, the Governor’s Cup recognizes those students best able to articulate a plan that addresses these challenges. Competitors learn about the new venture creation process through their team’s efforts, their work with faculty, and the development of written plans and oral presentations to judges.

Why should you participate?

• To take a chance at winning part of that $154,000 cash prize pool;
• Get a hands-on, real-world experience about new venture creation that builds up their appreciation for the challenges that come with developing a viable business product or service;
• Build up those important writing and presentation skills;
• Receive impactful and meaningful feedback from notable judges;
• Discover that Arkansas is a great place to grow, innovate, and live;
• Network with entrepreneurs, investors and lenders;
• Get media exposure; and,
• Save money – there’s no cost to enter!

In addition to that real-world experience, the Governor’s Cup is also about personal and career development. Regardless of whether or not they were winners, past competitors say they learned quite a bit about themselves.

They discovered personal strengths in problem-solving, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, time management, team building, and more of the valuable soft skills critical to their success after graduation.

For colleges and universities, the Governor’s Cup is an opportunity to engage students in exploring promising ideas and technologies coming from their campuses for potential commercialization. Plus, their winners bring home a very cool and heavy crystal trophy that is an eye-catching addition to their trophy cases!

Interested in applying for the Arkansas Governor’s Cup 2020? Register your participation by following the registration link and taking the suggested steps.

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