March 14, 2007, Google announced the start of a nationwide student competition for the best business plan. The purpose of this competition is to promote the development of the Internet and online business in Ukraine by supporting entrepreneurial initiatives in the country, which is the basic principle of Google’s philosophy. This is the first student competition of this kind, conducted by Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
To participate in this competition, students must create teams. Subsequently, the participants of these teams should jointly develop a business plan for a new Internet project, which over time can be launched on the Ukrainian market.
“We believe that there are many talented young people in Ukraine, and we want to encourage them so that they can bring their ideas to life. We will be happy to support all those who share the views of Google. This is the first competition of this kind not only in Ukraine, but also in the entire European region, ”said Yonca Brunini, marketing director for Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Any student who meets the requirements of the competition can participate in Google’s contest – even one who does not have an entrepreneurial spirit. Applications are accepted from March 14 to May 15, 2007 inclusive. Winners will be announced by Google on May 25, 2007. Only teams consisting of 2-4 students who study in Ukraine in the last year of undergraduate or master’s programs (fourth to sixth courses) can take part in the competition. Only one business plan is accepted from one group. The same person can not be a member of two or more teams.
All members of the first three winning teams will receive valuable gifts. For the first place each of the winning team will receive a laptop; for the second place – pocket computers; for the third place – a video camera.
Students who meet all the criteria for the competition and wish to participate in it must first register by sending information about their team to: competition@google.com. The letter must contain the name of each member of the team, the name of the university, the faculty, the year of study and the email address. Participants will be provided with detailed instructions on how to prepare their business plan. The final application with the project should be sent to the same e-mail address.
Business plans can be written in any of three languages: Ukrainian, Russian or English. Each team’s business plan must contain:
– Detailed description of business ideas for B2C or B2B online service.
– Analysis of competitors in the market.
– Start-up capital required to start a business and to support it.
– Model income.
– Marketing plan.
Applications must be submitted only in .doc files created on the basis of a special form provided by Google after registration. Ask all your questions about the competition at competition@google.com
