Emma Enterprise

To enter all you have to do is form a team and then write a one-page summary of a business or social enterprise idea. The teams with the best ideas will then pitch to a panel of expert judges. The winning team will receive a cash prize of £2500 and the two runners-up will each receive £250. Along the way, aided by an experienced mentor, you will learn how to write a business plan, pitch your idea, assess the competition, develop a business model and raise finance.

2023 Michaelmas

The Launch

Thursday, 19 October 2023 at 5.30pm in the Old Library, followed by a networking reception. We are pleased to advise that our keynote speaker is Professor Florin Udrea. Each person attending must register here to attend (for catering purposes). CLOSED

Tutorials

Experienced entrepreneurs from Emmanuel are offering online tutorials during the Michaelmas and Lent terms. Access the schedule, topics, and speakers here. Registration is not required.

2024 Lent

Form Your Team (or submit as an individual)

Any team of up to three, can be a mix of students, postdocs, Research Fellows and alumni, at least one of whom must be a member of Emmanuel.

Tuesday, 13 February 2024 by 5pm: Submit a 1-page written outline of your idea by email to this address here, include your name and any team members names, if applicable. Shortlisted teams are assigned a mentor.

Your 1-page pitch, due by 13 February, should provide an overview of your business idea. There is no fixed format for this but if you search the web you will find a variety of suggested formats. Note also that Steve Young included a slide showing what should be included in a 1-pager during his introductory talk. The competition on 22 April will be evaluated based on the criteria outlined on the webpage.

Competition entries on 22 April will be judged on the following criteria:

Innovation 25%

  • Describe the problem addressed, the proposed solution and its novelty
  • Explain how it will disrupt the market and/or how it differentiates itself from the competition.

Implementation 25%

  • Describe the business model, market validation and routes to market.
  • Outline the team you will need, the funding required and how it will be deployed.

Impact 25%

  • What will be the impact including social and environmental aspects?
  • Is there growth potential to expand and address global markets?

Presentation 25%

2024 Easter

The Competition Final

Monday, 22 April 2024 at 4.00 PM in the Queen's Building Lecture Theatre. Each team will give a 10-minute pitch with slides followed by a 5-minute Q&A. The Judges will award the winning team £2500 plus two £250 prizes for runners-up. Each person attending must register here to attend (for catering purposes).

The Rules

For all enquiries, please contact: enterprise@emma.cam.ac.uk