Kauffman Foundation News (7/27/11): Startup Open competition announces top prizes

Startup Open competition announces top prizes

Startup Open Announces Top Prizes, Including Trip to Liverpool 
for Global Entrepreneurship Congress and 
Mentoring Program with Redbox Founder

Select Startups Have Chance to Start Firms in Chile, Receiving $40,000 
in Capital and a One-Year Work Visa

Startup Open aims to answer a question plaguing economists, investors and Main Street alike: Who are the next generation of entrepreneurs that will grow to become tomorrow’s Google, Apple, or Facebook? Startup Open is a competition that recognizes the “GEW 50,” a group of 50 companies deemed to have the greatest chance of growing into game-changing firms that will move markets and create jobs.

Startup Open today announced its top honors and prizes, which will be awarded during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) 2011. One winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip and VIP delegate credentials to participate in Liverpool’s Global Entrepreneurship Congress in March, 2012. The Congress will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, global leaders, and startup champions from more than 100 countries. While there, the Startup Open winner will have the opportunity to showcase its business plan on a global scale, gain valuable insight from successful and experienced entrepreneurs, and network with world leaders, economists, and other experts.

A second Startup Open winner will receive one year of mentoring from Redbox founding members and serial entrepreneurs Michael DeLazzer and Biju Kulathaka, courtesy of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). The program will include a trip to DeLazzer’s home in Marco Island, Fla., where the winner’s business plan will be scrutinized and market opportunities will be identified.

Select startups from those named to the “GEW 50″ will be invited to participate in Start-Up Chile , a ground-breaking program that attracts world-class, early-stage entrepreneurs from around the world and gets them to start their firms in Chile. Participating startups will receive $40,000 in equity-free, seed capital and a one-year work visa in Chile, along with access to the most potent social and capital networks in the country.

The deadline to enter is Sept. 15, 2011. For more information on how to enter, please visit www.startupopen.com.

Read more…>> http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/startup-open-announces-top-prizes-including-trip-to-liverpool-for-global-entrepreneurship-congress-and-mentoring-program-with-redbox-founders.aspx