Team/Business Rules

Participants are expected to adhere to the following criteria to qualify for the competition.

• Entrants must adhere to all submission deadlines and guidelines. (Late submissions will not be accepted.)
  • November 5, 2023 (11:59 PM CST): Intent to Compete Form Deadline
  • November  19, 2023 (11:59 PM CST): Executive Summary Deadline 
• Individuals may be a member of only one team. Teams may be as small as one student, and there is no maximum size. The typical team size is usually between two and five members.
• Teams who have raised $100,000 or more in external funding (investor, competitions, etc.) are no longer eligible to compete in the Riata Business Plan Competition.
• Teams who have participated in the Rising Entrepreneurs track (previous competition track winners) and placed in the top three for two consecutive years are no longer eligible to compete in the Riata Business Plan Competition.
• Ideas submited as part of a team’s business must represent the original work of the team. Participants will sign a certification to this effect as part of the initial entry. If a student is competing with an OSU-owned technology, all applications must be approved in advance by OSU’s Technology Development Center and all appropriate parties.
• Submissions should be for ventures that are in the early stage, for-profit or not-for-profit and could be seeking investment capital. This does not typically include buyouts, entity expansions, real estate ventures, funds or franchise purchases.
• Entrants must have a fundamental, equity-holding position within their companies. Meaning teams must have a combined ownership of at least 25% of the founder’s equity.
• Selected finalists must be available during the entire competition and at the time of the awards ceremony to be eligible. (Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for teams with extenuating circumstances)
• Awarded scholarships might impact financial aid or other scholarships previously awarded. Please check with the OSU Financial Aid Office to ensure you are eligible prior to the competition.
• Scholarships are directly deposited into participants bursar accounts. IMPORTANT: Balances on participants bursar accounts will reduce the amount of the awarded scholarship from the competition.  
• No scholarship awards are directly provided to any competition participants.

Executive Summaries

• All submitted work must be the original work of the team members or appropriately licensed work of others. Any submission that does not meet these requirements will be eliminated from the competition.
• Executive Summaries must adhere to the following format:
  • • Uploaded as: RBPC_CompanyName_Exec.pdf.
    • May be single or double-spaced.
    • Must have at least .75” margins on all four sides.
    • Must be submitted in PDF format to riata@okstate.edu.  
    • Must be no shorter than two pages or longer than five pages after conversion to PDF.
    • Must be at least a 10-point font after conversion to PDF.
• Executive Summaries must include the following data points. Additional data points not listed below can be provided within the length guidelines:
  • • Overview of Business
    • Problem Solved
    • Product or Services Offered
    • Market Overview
    • Business Model
    • Customers or Prospective Customers
    • Sales & Marketing Strategy
    • Competitive Environment
    • Management Team
    • Capital Needed
    • Contact Info for the Team Leader

**Financials must have at least a detailed five-year projected income statement.

 

IMPORTANT:  All participants should list contact information that includes a phone number and email address that is checked daily.

Final Live Presentations

• All finalists take part in a single-round, live 10-minute presentation immediately followed by a 10-minute judges Q&A.
• All submitted work must be the original work of the team members or appropriately licensed work of others. Any submission that does not meet these requirements will be eliminated from the competition.
• Presentations must adhere to the following format:
  • • Uploaded as: RBPC_CompanyName_Exec.pdf.
    • Must be created through PowerPoint or similar programs.
    • Must be submitted in PDF format through riata@okstate.edu.
• No more than two minutes of video content should be included as a part of the live pitch presentation.
• All team members must contribute (have a speaking part) during the live presentation.
• Presentations must include the following data points. Additional data points not listed below can be provided within the length guidelines.
  • • Overview of Business
    • Problem Solved
    • Product or Services Offered
    • Market Overview
    • Business Model
    • Customers or Prospective Customers
    • Sales & Marketing Strategy
    • Competitive Environment
    • Management Team
    • Capital Needed
    • Contact info for the Team Leader