The deadline for proposals to participate in the 21st Cyprus Entrepreneurship Competition is 20 September 2021. We strongly urge start-ups and entrepreneurs to apply, as this is one of the few business acceleration programmes without an equity contribution, and with some of the best mentors available in Greece and Cyprus.
CyEC participants will be requested to develop their business plan in 3 incremental stages, with guidance and feedback. This 3-stage iteration enhances the learning experience of participants. Please check Terms & Conditions for participation. All teams that pass Stage 1 will attend Entrepreneurship Seminars and Business Planning Workshops and will be offered Mentoring.
The timeline of events is:
Submission of Executive Summaries: Monday 20 September 2021
Application screening
Panel of Judges Review Period
Announcement of Stage 1 Results: Tuesday 05 October 2021
Appointment of Mentors: 08 October 2021
Acceleration Program: 09 October 2021 - 3 December 2021
Networking Event: Thursday 21 October 2021
Video Pitch Submission: TBA *
Submission of DRAFT Business Plans: Monday November 8th 2021
Consultation on DRAFT Business Plans: November 15th - 19th 2021 **
Submission of Business Plans (Stage 2): 1st December 2021
Pitching Day (closed session): TBA
Final Conference and Award Ceremony: TBA
Stage 1:
Participants submit an Executive Summary of a pitch deck up to 4-7 pages long, where they outline:
The Business Idea
The Competitive Advantages
The Target Market
Technology
The Market Potential
The Qualities of the Team
Faculty and staff of C4E will screen applications to determine which will be sent to the judges for review. Applications that are incomplete, do not adequately provide the required information, or answer the application questions will not be sent to the judges for review. The decision of C4E is final.
All selected submissions are then evaluated by the CyEC Jury on their merits in developing successful businesses in the marketplace.
Stage 2:
Participants who pass Stage 1 are required to submit a short video pitch which communicates their venture idea* and undergo an acceleration program organised in the context of CyEC. All teams will be assigned mentor(s). At the end of this program, teams are required to submit a well-developed Business Plan of their project idea. The assigned mentor(s) of each team will deliver a final assessment report to the CyEC panel of judges at the end of Stage 2. Mentors assessment report will be part of the final evaluation by the CyEC panel of judges.
Stage 3:
The finalists are expected to present their Business Plans in a closed meeting with the CyEC Jury and the CyEC Mentors Network. All finalists are also required to present a 3-minute long pitch (live or recorded) of their business plan in an open audience at the CyEC Final Conference. The CyEC Jury evaluates and rates the submitted Business Plans and selects the winning teams. At the end of the Conference, the Award Ceremony will take place with the CyEC Jury announcing the winners and giving the awards.
Video Format and requirements:
Please submit a 1-5 minute video pitch idea with a Youtube unlisted link. The video can be made in any way you find creative pitching your innovation. All members of the team can talk or you can assign the team’s speaker. Video quality will not be evaluated.
Once you upload your pitch video on Youtube make sure that it’s Unlisted not Private and send the link to cyec@ucy.ac.cy with the Subject name of your company.
DRAFT Business Plans must be submitted by Monday November 8th at cyec@ucy.ac.cy to be reviewed by the appointed consultant.