The Center for Entrepreneurship at Wichita State University will hold its seventh annual Shocker Business Plan Competition this April.

The competition is designed to encourage student innovation and provide a forum where students from any major can present new business ideas to more than 250 local business leaders, including entrepreneurs and investors.

It is open to all enrolled students from any four-year university or college in the state of Kansas. Students may register as a team or individually.

The Shocker Business Plan Competition is a multi-round competition. The competition begins with the screening round. Competitors submit a shortened business plan that is evaluated by judges from the local community. The top 16 teams from the screening round move on to the trade show at 3 p.m. Friday, April 19, at WSU.

The Trade Show is open to invited teams, faculty advisers and judges. The top eight teams from the trade show will compete in the semi-finals.

The top four teams from the semi-finals will present at the final round of competition at 2 p.m. Friday, May 3 , in WSU's Devlin Hall. The final round is free and open to the public.

The day ends with the annual Center for Entrepreneurship Banquet and Awards Ceremony from 6-9 p.m. at the Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview in downtown Wichita.

Keynote

This year's keynote speaker for the banquet is Charlie Chandler, chairman, president and CEO of Intrust Bank.

The banquet is open to the general public. Individual tickets can be purchased for $35 each.

More than $25,000 in prizes will be awarded to the top teams whose new venture ideas have the greatest potential to successfully launch. Previous winners include: Aqua Audio, Advanced Mobile Healthcare, Fairmount Technologies, Quince by Melissa, and Petro Power.

For more detailed information regarding the competition, contact (316) 978-3000, bizplancompetition@wichita.edu, or visit the competition website at www.wichita.edu/BP.