The Campus CEO Challenge

Sponsored by Prudential Financial

 

| Overview | Criteria | Entry Form |

Contest Overview

"Who says you have to wait until after graduation to earn a decent living or to launch the business of your dreams?" Not Dr. Randal Pinkett author of the book Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur’s Guide to Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business and winner of the fourth season of NBC’s hit reality show, “The Apprentice.” Randal, an academic superstar with five advanced degrees from Rutgers, Oxford, and MIT, and a successful businessman who outlasted 17 contenders on the Apprentice to win the coveted spot in the Trump Organization, wants you to share your plan for a student-run business so he can help you make it a knockout success!

If you are a high school student or college student attending a school based in Newark, NJ, or young person between the ages of 18 and 30 who resides in Newark, NJ, and you are already running your own company, or you have brainstormed a business idea you’d like to bring to life, you’re invited to submit your story for Randal’s review.

Enter your mini-business plan into the Newark's Most Promising Young Entrepreneur contest today and you could win money to contribute with start-up capital as well as a consultation with Dr. Pinkett to help you launch your own multimillion-dollar business.

Eligibility

• High school students attending a high school in Newark, NJ
• College students attending a college or university in Newark, NJ
• Any young person between the ages of 18 and 30 who resides in Newark, NJ
• Only one (1) entry per person (or per team)

How It Works:

• Submit the story of your existing or future business venture by visiting: www.randalpinkett.com/campusceo/contest_form.asp. Entries must be submitted by Wednesday, January 14, 2009. Don’t have an idea but know someone who does? No problem – pass the word.
• Randal and a team of experts will review qualified applications and select finalists based on judging criteria which can be viewed at: www.randalpinkett.com/campusceo/criteria.asp.

Judging

• On Wednesday, February 11, 2009, you will be invited back to the web-site to review the finalists and vote on the business ideas you think will survive and thrive. The popular vote will be one factor in the selection of the ultimate winners, so don’t forget to cast your vote!
• All finalists will make a 3-minute presentation at the Awards Luncheon on Thursday, April 30, 2009 at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ. Finalists will have an opportunity to receive presentation coaching during the week of April 20. All finalists must attend the Awards Luncheon to be considered eligible for the final round judging.

What You Get

Two (2) Runners Up:

• a $1,500 monetary award that can be used as start-up money
• a package from Kaplan of valuable tools to get you started on your venture, or to help you take it to the next level
• a free copy of Young, Gifted & Entrepreneurs: Success Stories from the Prudential Young Entrepreneur Program

 

More on Dr. Randal Pinkett, Chairman and CEO, BCT Partners

An established entrepreneur, scholar and community servant, Dr. Randal Pinkett is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, a multimillion dollar management, technology and policy consulting firm started with several college classmates while at Rutgers University. After graduating from Rutgers with a 3.9 grade point average, Randal went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and earn four more degrees, including a Ph.D. from MIT. Thanks to his academic savvy and his profitable campus-based business, Randal managed to graduate from college completely debt free – a rare feat for most college students.

More on Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur's Guide to Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business

Every year, hundreds of thousands of students in the U.S. enter college totally clueless as to their choice of a major, and even less sure about what they will do with the rest of their lives. But for a growing number of students, the financial pressures of college are far more taxing than the academic rigors of campus life. As a result, many students rely heavily on financial aid, loans, part-time jobs, strict budgets, and whatever money their parents can afford to send them. Many students take dead-end jobs with no relevance to their college programs, while others even work on a full-time basis—sacrificing grades for dollars—and unwittingly setting themselves up to become college drop-outs.

However, students don't have to suffer through a penniless college existence, nor must they wait until after graduation to find a career and make money. Instead, they can generate income by launching their own businesses while on campus, taking advantage of the period in their lives during which any number of once-in-a-lifetime perks and resources are readily available to them. Campus CEO walks any would-be entrepreneur through all the necessary steps to launching a profitable, campus-based business, while simultaneously achieving academic success. Regardless of major, background, or area of interest, readers of Campus CEO will learn how to turn their academic and professional dreams into reality. Click here to order a copy of the book.

 

Click Here to Enter the Contest