Northeast Arkansas college students get chance to cash in on business ideas

Arkansas State University students and other college attendees in Northeast Arkansas who have innovative business ideas can turn them into quick cash.

ASU will hold its annual Fall Business Plan Competition next week. Interested students and teams will have until Oct. 6 to email their business proposals and the application.

The business plan winner will receive $1,000 and smaller cash prizes will be doled out in other categories, such as the freshman elevator pitch, where freshman are given a minute or so to “pitch” their idea. Judges from across the country and around the world will help determine the winners, ASU professor of management Erick Chang said.

“We have invited other universities in the area to join this year as we are opening the competition to students enrolled in other places,” Chang said. “Our goal is to be an initial stage to those teams willing to participate in the 2017 (Donald W. Reynolds) Governor’s Cup.”

Once the applications are received judges will review them and finalists will be selected. Finalist will compete against each other Nov. 10 at the Delta Center for Economic Development on the ASU campus.

In April 2015, ASU students won $35,000 at the Governor’s Cup held at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.