iStart Reports on Business Idea Competition Site

Wireless News
06-08-2011
iStart Reports on Business Idea Competition Site
Type: News

iStart, a customizable Web-based platform that lets organizations market and administer business competitions, is picking up speed as students access the site to fulfill their dreams of becoming successful entrepreneurs.

In a release dated June 3, the Company said iStart.org is a single resource that allows student entrepreneurs to share ideas and gain access to an international network of competitions and mentors. For administrators, the platform helps with complex tasks, including managing and monitoring applicant entries, establishing judging criteria and conducting online judging.
Since its launch in 2010, the website, hosted by the Kauffman Foundation, has gathered more than 1,200 businesses ideas from 44 countries, including Albania, Kenya, Afghanistan, Israel and Ukraine. Business idea categories include Internet, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Social Entrepreneurship, Services, Green, Materials, Consumer Goods and Energy.

"We believe experiential opportunities are important for entrepreneurs to network and learn -- especially for students and others in the idea phase. iStart creates a network of opportunities for student and aspiring entrepreneurs to get global exposure, make connections and learn through competitions," said Lesa Mitchell, vice president of Advancing Innovation at the Kauffman Foundation.

"With their ideas accessible to mentors and investors and potential teaming partners, entrepreneurs can more quickly gain momentum in their business planning process."

"Business plan, pitch and idea competitions play a key role in entrepreneurial education and often kick-start an idea for an aspiring entrepreneur. That's why we want to make these competitions more accessible to students and easier for administrators," said Katie Petersen, who manages the iStart program for the Kauffman Foundation.

"Our customizable platform is one-of-a-kind, and we hope becomes the go-to site for entering business plan competitions around the world, browsing abstracts and networking with innovative, energized entrepreneurs. We want to help make dreams a reality."

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare.

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