Summer Workshop Series Summer workshops are designed to help finalists develop business plans that have a great chance at succeeding not only in the competition but also in the marketplace. These workshops are free to members of all finalist teams (we will try to accommodate all finalists, but reserve the right to limit access to two members from any one team). We will provide downloadable materials and a live webcast of the presentations for finalists who cannot attend in person. The Summer Workshops include continuing education on business plan writing, marketing and budgeting for your start-up, and pitching to investors.

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Workshop 1: Business Plans for Sustainable Ventures

Business Plan Essentials - Review the general structure and critical elements of a business plan. Includes important do's & don'ts and lessons learned by other entrepreneurs.

Sustainability Criteria - Learn how to measure sustainability for your venture, review the criteria to be used in the competition, and discover the tools and resources available.

Workshop 2: Marketing Strategy and the Marketing Plan

Finding and Understanding the Customer - Review overall marketing strategy, market segmentation and target customers. Includes discussion of value proposition and competitive advantage.

The Marketing Plan - Convert your marketing strategy into the marketing section of your business plan. Focus on articulating "how you will win customers, relative to their other choices."

Workshop 3: Financial Modeling and Business Plan Financials

Building an Investor-Worthy Financial Model - Understand financial models that can be used in the business plan. Includes discussion of the three financial statements (income statement, cash flow, and balance sheet), as well as building flexibility into the model to allow for sensitivity analyses, "what-if's", etc.

Workshop 4: Legal Considerations for Early-stage Ventures

Legal Structures for Early-stage Ventures - A legal primer for organizational structures and filing requirements in California, Delaware, etc. Includes an overview of intellectual property for "green" ventures.

Workshop 5: The Investor Pitch

Fundamentals of an Investor Pitch - Discuss the content and delivery of investor presentations, including the competition presentation format and how to present "sustainability".

A Mock Finalist Pitch - Deliver your investor presentation, complete with Q&A. Judges will give a live critique, using competition judging criteria.

Workshop details subject to change. Complete details will be made available to competition finalists.