MegaWatt Ventures Announces 2011 Clean Energy Business Plan Competition... Winner = $100K

MegaWatt Ventures is an annual clean energy business plan competition that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy in conjunction with Florida’s universities. The competition has an over-riding mission of encouraging the commercialization of innovative energy-related technologies from the lab bench into the marketplace. Students, entrepreneurs and faculty are all invited to participate in this exciting program that brings innovation, entrepreneurship and the energy industry together to create new ventures that have the potential to create new jobs and help solve today’s global energy issues.

Participants in the MegaWatt Ventures program will be surrounded with experienced business mentors, investors, technical experts, and energy-industry veterans that are all dedicated to assisting you in commercializing your innovations into high growth businesses.

Competing teams must include at least one Florida-based engineering student, and can be formed at the beginning of the competition. Teams can also be existing Florida-based small technology businesses that generated less than $1M in revenues in 2010, and that employ Florida-based engineering students in key development positions for the duration of the competition.

For 2011, MegaWatt Ventures is open to any Florida-based teams and small businesses. Technologies or research from any U.S.-based university or national lab can be incorporated into the proposed product concepts.

Grand Prize winner: $100K to launch new company, invitation to NREL Industry Growth Forum, interim CEO.
Ten finalists: $10K to develop prototype and a dedicated mentor team.
All qualified applicants: Invitation to workshops and access to mentor networks.

Let's get some entries from Gainesville! Visit MegaWatt Ventures website for all the details.