Competition

The Ignite Clean Energy (ICE) business plan competition, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is a year long training and competitive forum for entrepreneurs in the clean energy industry. The ICE 09 year does bring many changes to the calendar and running of the competition. Please read carefully below for more details.

The competition invites teams regardless of age, professional status or academic background to compete in one of the most prestigious renewable energy competitions in the US.

The 2009 competition Kicked off mid-November with several Team Building events being held in the coming months to help generate potential competitors.
Team Building Events:
New York City: December 8th 5:30-8:00pm At Mintz Levin
RTP, North Carolina: January 7th
Boston: January 12th 5:30-8:00pm At Mintz Levin
Rochester, NY: January 22nd 5:30-7:30pm
Yale University: January 27th 5:30-8pm
Harvard Business School: February 3rd 6:00-9:00pm
UMass Dartmouth, ATMC: February 5th 5:30-8pm
Washington DC: February 11th At Mintz Levin
Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business: February 12th
UMass Lowell: February 25th
UMass Amherst: February 25th
Deloitte: April 2nd
NY Capital District: April 6th at RPI

This year Student teams and Professional teams will have separate submission dates.

Student Teams:
Student Teams will be able to submit their team members' information, executive summary and optional powerpoint slides between Monday, March 9th - Monday, March 16th Noon EST .
The ICE Judging Committee will be narrowing the Student Entrants to 10 Quarter Finalists. These Quarter Finalists will present a 10 minute presentation to judges on May 4

Quarter Finals: (Students Only)
Selected Quarter Finalists will compete in a Quarter Finals Event May 4th at Olin College in Needham where 2 teams will be selected by judges and become Semi-Finlalists. This event is closed to the public.
These Semi-Finalist Student Teams will no longer compete under the Student track but as equals to the selected Professional Teams.
All other Quarter Finalists as well as those not chosen as Quarter Finalists are welcome and encouraged to resubmit on the Professional Deadline May 26-June 5.

Mentors:
Currently accepting applications until May 22nd to mentor one of the ICE 2009 Semi Finalist Teams. Once mentors have been vetted by our committee they will be notified via email- this is an ongoing process. Mentors will be matched mid June to Semi Finalist Teams and able to meet and work with their teams on June 19th at the ICE Bootcamp event.
Mentors- please mark June 19th 11am-3pm on your calendars to join your teams at Foley Hoag in Waltham.

All Potential Competing Teams:
Professional Teams (non-student teams) as well as any Student Teams who have or have not submitted to ICE 09 must submit their team members' information, executive summary and option powerpoint slides between Tuesday, May 26th- Friday, June 5th Noon EST(via YouNoodle)

What teams have to submit by June 5

Once submitted the ICE judging committee will select Semi Finalist Teams.
These Semi-Finalists will be matched to mentors via our mentoring committee

Summit/Bootcamp
June 18-19 at Foley Hoag in Waltham
This year Summit/Bootcamp will be a two day event with overnight accomendations for our teams from far outside the Boston area.
All Semi Finalist Teams are required to have at least one team member in attendance

Various speakers and sessions will discuss the dos and don'ts of writing a business plan. Topics that will be covered: Idea Validation, Sales & Marketing, IP, Team Building, Perfect Pitch, Angel Funding, Bootstrap Funding, Venture Funding & Government Funding.
Bootcamp will also provide a time for teams to work in person with their mentors.

CURRENT STEP IN THE ICE CALENDAR
Work with Mentors
During the ensuing months (June-September 2009), the Semi Finalist Teams get access to world-class legal, financial, operational, strategic, writing and technical experts. These experts (mentors) offer their time in the true spirit of volunteerism and with the expectation that they are helping to create game changing technology.

Included in this competitive time frame are networking events, business plan writing training, instruction on pitching your ideas to mentors and for the winning team – a sizable first place purse.

Semi Finals
Semi Finals will be held in September 17, 2009 at Babson College
All Semi Finalist Teams must prepare a presentation for judges
30 teams will be narrowed to 10 Finalists

Finals
Finals in November 2009
All 10 Finalist Teams must prepare a presentation and business plan for judges
Only ICE's 10 Finalists will have to complete and submit a full business plan.

The true value of the process is through the participation in the multi-events, training, mentoring and networking. Frankly, there is no better opportunity to train, evaluate, network and grow your business idea.

If you are considering, preparing, debating, or ready to go – the ICE Competition can strap a rocket to your ideas, light the fuse and help you blast your vision into the competitive arena of the business world.

Join up!