Young entrepreneurs at the University of New Hampshire will compete for cash prizes in the Paul Holloway Business Plan Competition Friday, May 5. The competition will be held at the Whittemore Center from 1 to 5 p.m. and will be open to the public. Students in the Whittemore School for Business and Economics have devoted several months to the project, which is designed to take them out of the classroom and into the business world. The competition requires students to develop a viable business plan that could be implemented to start, acquire or expand a business.
Finalists present their plan before a panel of business leaders who judge the plan's feasibility.
Funded by a gift from the family and friends of Exeter businessman Paul Holloway, the contest is now in its 12th year. This competition has given our students the opportunity to try out their entrepreneurial skills in a setting that tests them before the kinds of people they will encounter in the 'real world,' says William Naumes, associate professor of management. They now have a much better idea of the amount of work and dedication necessary to succeed in an entrepreneurial setting. This is the kind of hands-on application of theories and concepts that our students want and need. The Holloway competition is part of the First Annual Undergraduate Research Conference at UNH May 5-6.