April 5, 2011

Marquette Business Plan Competition banquet to feature OpenTable founder

Winners of ninth annual new venture contest will be announced

Event Information:
Date: Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Time: 5 p.m.
Place: Alumni Memorial Union
          Ballroom, 3rd Floor
          1442 W. Wisconsin Ave.

MILWAUKEE – The winners of the ninth annual Marquette Business Plan Competition will be announced at a banquet Wednesday, April 13, in the third-floor ballroom of the Alumni Memorial Union, 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave. The event, which will start at 5 p.m. with a poster session and reception, will feature a keynote presentation by Chuck Templeton, founder of the popular online restaurant reservation system OpenTable.com.

A dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. The keynote address will begin at 7 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony. The banquet is open to the public; cost is $25. Registration is available online. (There is no cost to Marquette students and faculty.)

In a record year, the competition attracted 52 entrants for 2011. Of those, 20 were social ventures. Due to increased interest, the competition last year added a separate category for businesses with a focus on addressing a societal need.

“Since 2001, Marquette’s Business Plan Competition has spawned hundreds of business plans with many entrants going on to start successful enterprises,” said Tim Keane, director of the Kohler Center for Entrepreneurship. “One truly unique facet of our competition is that our entrants receive continual feedback from seasoned entrepreneurs, and participate in workshops to help them develop their plans.”

About the Business Plan Competition
Participants receive individual feedback throughout the competition from seasoned entrepreneurs and investors. They also hear from previous participants and are able to share information with each other through networking workshops on business model development, plan refinement and presentation skills, which are held periodically throughout the competition.
 
Fully-developed plans are reviewed by a panel of judges who select semi-finalists to participate in oral presentations. The winners receive services, such as legal, accounting and public relations assistance. Winners also will be invited to participate in the Governor’s Business Plan Competition.

About Chuck Templeton
Templeton took his first big step as an entrepreneur in San Francisco when he founded OpenTable Inc., which went public on NASDAQ (OPEN) in May 2009. He helped build an industry-leading company that changed the way full-service restaurants manage their top-line growth and diners make reservations. As CEO, he recruited and hired the first management team, obtained and allocated company resources, led business and product strategy, and carefully crafted a highly dedicated culture.

Media who are interested in attending the banquet, or for interviews with Keane or Templeton, should contact Christopher Stolarski, senior communication specialist, at (414) 288-1988 or christopher.stolarski@marquette.edu.