In this Issue
	Join us for the 2004 Global Moot Corp Competition - May 5 - 8 in Austin, Texas Global MOOT CORP Competition Begins Next Week Global Competition Ventures Are a Diverse Lot Faculty Advisers Come to Austin to Learn How to Run a Business Plan Competition Venture Showcase is Your Chance to Talk One-on-One with Visiting MBAs

Global MOOT CORP Competition Begins Next Week

At a time when entrepreneurial activity is thriving around the world, some of the globe's most promising young entrepreneurs will converge on Austin May 5-8 to compete for top honors in the 2004 MOOT CORP® Competition at The University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business. You are invited to watch the Opening Round, Semifinals and Finals of the Competition. Armed with business plans that have won honors in regional contests from Latin America to London, thirty teams from top-ranked universities will vie for more than $170,000 in prizes. The Global Champion will receive 1) the opportunity to negotiate a $100,000 investment from the MOOT CORP Pontoon Fund, 2) the Austin Technology Incubator Launch Package worth $25,000 including office space, legal and accounting services, and discounts on Dell products, and 3) prosecution of the first American patent by Fish & Neave worth $25,000. The winning team will also be invited to join Gary Cadenhead in opening the NASDAQ Stock Market on August 6, 2004. All teams will have a chance to refine their presentation skills and attract investors from among the panels of judges, who include seasoned entrepreneurs and venture capitalists from Ernst & Young, Clear Channel, Austin Ventures, Hunt Ventures and an array of organizations. Participants win entry to the global competition by invitation or by winning one of 15 regional contests. The 30 teams that made it to Austin this year hail from 25 universities including Carnegie Mellon, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Michigan, Oxford University, Thammasat University (Thailand) and The University of Texas at Austin. Five universities including The University of Texas at Austin have two teams competing as a result of winning one or two of the qualifying competitions. Click Here for Competition Schedule »

Global Competition Ventures Are a Diverse Lot

Over the three days of the Global MOOT CORP Competition, aspiring entrepreneurs will go head-to- head presenting ideas for 30 new ventures, including: ** Neuronetrix, a first-of-its-kind process that screens newborns for dyslexia. ** DigiCam, a comprehensive rental service for digital cameras. ** Maestro Music, an Internet-wireless plan for playing and sharing digital music. ** Filt-Air Technologies, an odor-control system for agricultural producers. ** Jet Red, a new low-cost Chinese airline. ** UShip, an "eBay for shipping" that matches drivers with people who need to ship oversized items. ** Nutri-Loc, a plan to use microwave technology to dehydrate fruits, vegetables and herbs at a lower cost and higher quality than freeze-drying. According to Dr. Gary Cadenhead, Director of the MOOT CORP® program, all of the plans represent more than classroom exercises-they are built around viable products and services that can be taken to market. "The value for the competing teams is in how well this process simulates the real-life challenge of soliciting start-up funds from investors," says Cadenhead. "If these students get financial backing, they can go out and actually launch their ventures." Approximately half of each year's entering teams launch their ventures after the competition. Winners from UT at Austin include Private Concepts, now in FDA trials for a revolutionary cervical cancer test, and Isochron Data, a wireless monitoring venture successfully launched and sold to private investors in 2002. To Read About all the Ventures in this Year's Competition, Click Here »

Faculty Advisers Come to Austin to Learn How to Run a Business Plan Competition

The exemplary and award-winning MBA entrepreneurship program at the McCombs School grew out of the MOOT CORP Competition. This history is relevant to business schools that may want to consider using a business plan competition as a catalyst for launching or enriching an entrepreneurship program. In partnership with the Kauffman Collegiate Entrepreneurship Network of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the McCombs School has launched the MOOT CORP Fellows Program. This new initiative will share best practices and offer encouragement to entrepreneurship educators who are considering the use of business plan competitions to bring experiential learning to their classrooms and greater acceptance of entrepreneurship studies at their universities. Thirty-five educators experiencing the MOOT CORP event in Austin will leave with the knowledge, course materials and support network to launch a business plan competition as part of their developing entrepreneurship curriculum. These competitions could become part of a proven strategy for developing and growing an entrepreneurship program.

Venture Showcase is Your Chance to Talk One-on-One with Visiting MBAs

Please plan to join us for the Venture Showcase in honor of the visiting MBAs participating in the 2004 Global MOOT CORP Competition. The Venture Showcase, hosted by Hewlett Packard, will be held Thursday, May 6 from 6 PM until 7:30 PM at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, 700 San Jacinto. The 30 teams participating in this year's MOOT CORP® Competition will be showcasing their ventures in a trade show atmosphere. The Venture Showcase will be a great time for you to meet these visiting MBAs from around the world.