Although not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of ways to raise money, business plan competitions are how some inventors and entrepreneurs have funded the startup stage of their company. And these contests aren’t just for college students anymore. In fact I read an article the other day, how more and more non-student business plan contests help potential investors sort the good investments from the bad.

If you’re a student, the biggest competition is the University of Texas’ Moot Corp competition, where students from around the country compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars of prizes + the chance to meet investors.

Microsoft did their own small business plan contest and were giving away $100,000 last year. If you’re a non-student and in Texas, I’ve heard of the Research Valley Partnership contest. Just in some quick google searches I saw the state of Wisconsin has it’s own business plan contest.

So if you think you have a good product or idea, have time to invest in writing a contest-worthy business plan, and would love to present your business to investors, then give these contests a second look.