Wharton BPC gets 600 entries

With Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania bringing its entrepreneurial talent search programme "� Wharton Business Plan Competition (Wharton BPC) "� to India, aspiring business leaders have a first time opportunity to showcase their skills to gain valuable feedback from world's accomplished entrepreneurs. Wharton BPC India, which was the first of its kind organised outside the US, has already received over 600 individual entries from current students studying at business schools and colleges across India, says Peter Winicov, Senior Associate Director of Communications, Wharton School.

The plan, which has cash prizes and a Wharton School certification for the winners, had started accepting submissions from Indian business students in August this year. With the submission phase now closed, participating students are focused on moving on to the next rounds culminating in an awards ceremony, which is scheduled on November 1 in Mumbai, for the finalists.

Winicov said the award function will be in concurrence with the launch of its online business analysis journal India Knowledge@Wharton. BPC finalists will be awarded cash prizes worth Rs 180,000 rupees (about $4,000). "We will expand business mentoring programmes in the country as its business skills are getting increased international acceptance in the recent years and the School is committed to the country's business talent boost in much broader perspectives," Winicov added.

Wharton's large alumni base in India will take an active role. Students are judged on the viability and soundness of their business ideas and management fundamentals. The 600 competing entries will eventually be reduced to 25 semi-finalists and then to five finalists. The Wharton BPC, was launched in 1998 Wharton Entrepreneurship Club, is currently among the leading global university-run business plan competitions.