The Social Venture Competition business overviews are due on October 27, 2006, by 5:00pm EST.  Applicants should submit their business overviews to: Gigot Center, 234 Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556.

• Business Overview of proposed venture (One electronic copy, one paper clipped copy and eight stapled copies)
• Individual Waivers
• Public Summary (One electronic copy and one hard copy)

The executive summary should be two to four pages in length and should include, but need not be limited to, the following elements:

• Mission and Vision. Briefly describe your organization and its mission and vision.
• Opportunity. Identify and describe the problem or need you seek to address. Comment on the degree to which other organizations have addressed this problem or need.
• Solution. Describe the service or product your organization will develop and the population it will benefit. Explain the innovative aspects of your idea.  Describe your organization’s model for sustainability.
• Management Team. Discuss the background and expertise of the founder(s) and of other key team members, such as partners, advisors, and board members.  At a minimum, include a resume for the founder(s).

While preparing your executive summary keep in mind that plans will be evaluated on the following criteria, which we consider critical to the success and sustainability of social ventures:

• Potential for seed value impact.  Does the team have the skills, resources and capacity to add significant value?  Do they exhibit a strong potential for sustaining a healthy support network?
• Differentiation. What makes this venture distinctive and can it be measured over time?
• Customers and need. Are there lots of prospective customers that need what the venture delivers, and are these needs not being met currently?
• Sustainability. Will the venture be profitable and enduring so it can tackle important social issues?

In addition to the above, individual waiver forms must be signed by each member on the team and submitted to Gigot by October 13, 2006.

In 2-3 sentences the public summary should provide a brief description of your social venture idea, market and team. This paragraph should not exceed 100 words. It may be distributed to the press, other Notre Dame departments, IrishAngels or Irish Heroes, and/or other attendees at the competition's final event in April.