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Binghamton University and Koffman Incubator to host Southern Tier Regional New York Student Business Plan Competition

Binghamton University announced that it will host the New York Business Plan Competition’s Southern Tier regional competition this year, with the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator and Cornell University partnering to present the event on Friday, April 14, 2023. The competition promotes entrepreneurial opportunities for college students across the region who pitch their business plans for the chance to win cash prizes and the opportunity to engage with mentors and judges from the business community.

The competition is open to all undergraduate, graduate, community college and exchange students enrolled part or full-time in an accredited New York State University in the following counties; Broome, Chenango, Chemung, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga, Tompkins, Schuyler and Steuben. Interested student teams are encouraged to apply to take part as deadlines quickly approach. To take part in the Southern Tier NYBPC semifinal, student teams can learn more and apply at tinyurl.com/stnybpc. Applications are due Friday, April 7. The regional competition will take place virtually on Friday, April 14.

“Binghamton University and the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator have been proud to support and host the Southern Tier Regional portion of the New York Business Plan Competition for the last six years.” said Emma Smith, Program Manager at the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator and organizer of the Southern Tier Regional competition. “It’s truly inspiring to see the entrepreneurial spirit come alive in these students, and to see some of the real-world, tangible ideas that come out of the competition year after year.”

Noa Simons, President and CEO of Upstate Capital Association of New York said, “We organize the NYBPC to foster entrepreneurship through experiential education so students can gain insights and perspective on developing new ventures from people in the business community. Post-program mentorship, and cash prizes for winning teams, help launch new ventures. We see the value of entrepreneurial skills, no matter what direction students take their careers, and are excited about supporting people to start businesses and move toward owning their economic futures.”

Teams that compete in regional competitions pitch a business idea to a panel of experienced judges comprised of business and industry professionals. The top teams from 10 regions across New York state advance to the finals. First-round finals take place virtually from April 18-24, and the top 60 teams compete in-person on April 27 in Syracuse.  The top 6 teams will then compete in the Grand Prize Finals for a grand prize of $25,000 at the end of the day.

Interested students should submit their business plans related to one of the industry and business tracks listed below. The tracks include:

  • Safety, Power & Mobility: Defense, Energy First Responder, Infrastructure, Mobility & Transportation
  • Health & Wellbeing: Health IT, Life Science, Medtech, Wellbeing
  • Food & Agtech: Agricultural Technology, Food Product, Food Service
  • Learn, Work & Play: Education, Entertainment, Gaming, Media, Art
  • Products & Hardware: For ventures that do not fit into other tracks
  • Software & Services: For ventures that do not fit into other tracks

 Since 2010, the NYBPC has helped to launch more than 100 student-led ventures and generated more than $150 million in economic impact. For more information about the competition, visit: https://nybpc.org/students2023.