Win money for your startup in a small business competition

If your grand business idea has not come to fruition owing to a lack of start-up capital, then a business plan competition could be the prime opportunity to give your company a financial boost.

Colleges and universities across the US conduct hundreds of business plan competitions each year that pay out hundreds of thousands in “no-strings-attached” cash along with in-kind prizes such as legal consulting, marketing and web design. All kinds of ventures receive support from these competitions and in many cases you don’t even have to currently be a student of the hosting college/university to be eligible.

Forbes.com lists 15 of the biggest small business plan competitions in the US.