Case Foundation to Sponsor UH Business Plan Competition

New award encouraging social enterprise to be introduced

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Tracy Taira, (808) 956-5357
Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship & E-Business
Posted: Feb 7, 2005

HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi 2005 Business Plan Competition will be strengthened by a three-year, $300,000 investment by The Case Foundation, a charitable foundation established by AOL co-founder and Hawaiʻi native Steve Case.

"The university is delighted to receive this commitment from The Case Foundation and we are particularly pleased that this sponsorship will allow us to introduce a social enterprise category in our competition," said Vance Roley, the newly-appointed dean of the College of Business Administration.

Social enterprises are nonprofit or for-profit business ventures that strive to achieve financial self-sufficiency and a quantifiable double bottom line of financial and social returns.

"The Case Foundation is proud to support this competition and the addition of a new prize for Social Enterprise," said Case. "If we encourage entrepreneurship in both the business and nonprofit sectors, investors in Hawaiʻi‘s future will have the opportunity to realize both economic and social returns on their investments."

The Case Foundation will provide more than $60,000 in cash prizes overall as follows: $25,000 General Category First Prize; $15,000 General Category Second Prize; $20,000 Social Enterprise Category Prize; $1,000 Best Undergraduate Team Plan; and $500 to the winners of the High School Business Plan Competition.

Organized by the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship & E-Business (PACE), the 2005 UH Business Plan Competition is designed to encourage students across the UH system to be more entrepreneurial, and to provide mentorship and coaching for their business ideas. The competition is open for entries in the general category until Feb. 17, and in the social enterprise category until Feb. 25. For competition details or quick registration, visit www.cba.hawaii.edu/bpc.

For more information, visit: http://www.cba.hawaii.edu/bpc