History of the Burrill Competition
Originally called the UW TEC Prize, the G. Steven Burrill Business Plan Competition began in 1998. The competition promotes entrepreneurial activities and serves as a valuable learning experience for students and faculty alike. The Burrill prize offers students a chance to compete for cash prizes of $10,000, $7,000, $4,000 and $1,000.
Hundreds of students have participated in the competition, and thousands have attended related seminars and built new skills. Often working in inter-disciplinary teams of two or more people, students develop and present a business plan to a panel of judges. Winning ideas have included plans to market and sell products such as personal finance software, bindings for wake boards, and bio-genetic information. Several teams have leveraged the knowledge, experience, and exposure gained from the competition to form successful new business ventures.
Campus Competition Support
The G. Steven Burrill competition is supported by:
- The Initiative for Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship
- The University of Wisconsin Technology Enterprise Cooperative
- University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business
- University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering
- University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural Life Sciences
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School
- Wiscontrepreneur
Competition Sponsor
This competition is named for G. Steven Burrill because of his ongoing support of student innovation and technological entrepreneurship. Mr. Burrill is CEO of Burrill & Company in San Francisco, California.