Mohawk Valley Entrepreneurship Assistance Center (EAC) Business Plan Competition
Date: April 24, 2026
Location: SUNY Cobleskill
About the Competition
The Institute for Rural Vitality (IRV) at SUNY Cobleskill’s Mohawk Valley Entrepreneurship Assistance Center (EAC) was awarded a grant from Empire State Development, funded by the Small Business and Entrepreneurs Grant Program Pilot to host a business plan competition and award grants to entrepreneurs and small business owners to cover start-up costs of a new small business, or to support or expand an existing small business in New York State.
Mission: The Institute for Rural Vitality at SUNY Cobleskill
The Institute for Rural Vitality (IRV) at SUNY Cobleskill has a clear mission to engage the substantial resources of SUNY Cobleskill in collaboration with regional partners to enhance community and economic vitality in rural New York.
Mission: Empire State Development – Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers
The mission of Empire State Development (“ESD”) is to promote a vigorous and growing state economy, encourage business investment and job creation, and support diverse, prosperous local economies across New York State through the efficient use of loans, grants, tax credits, real estate development, marketing and other forms of assistance.
Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers (EAC) is an enterprise development program with centers located in communities throughout New York State that provide instruction, training, technical assistance, and support services to individuals who are interested in starting or recently started their own business, or entrepreneurs seeking to expand or strengthen their early-stage business.
Registration
Registration is currently open. The Mohawk Valley EAC Business Plan Competition deadline for registration is April 6, 2026. No late registration will be accepted.
Please note that all pitch presentation slide decks must be sent to the Institute for Rural Vitality at institute@cobleskill.edu by April 19, 2026. Slides must be submitted prior to the competition.
Slide decks must be in PowerPoint format, Google Slides, or as a PDF. No specific software is guaranteed, so businesses should plan accordingly, focusing on simplicity and content to guarantee universal accessibility.
Business Eligibility
All businesses interested in the competition must review the Mohawk Valley EAC Business Plan Competition Rulebook.
Competition & Presentation Structure
The Mohawk Valley EAC Business Plan Competition will plan to run at least 2 separate tracks for the competition, depending on enrollments, where finalists will be selected to then pitch the public audience and a combined set of judges.
Each presentation will be no more than ten (10) minutes in length, followed by a five (5) minute question period from the judges. The judges will have a five (5) minute deliberation period between business presentations. The presentation order for the first round of the pitches will be provided on the schedule upon registration and check-in on April 24, 2026.
Presentation Tracks
The Mohawk Valley EAC Business Plan Competition is divided into categories, called tracks, at the competition. Businesses will be assigned tracks by the Mohawk Valley EAC Business Plan Competition organizers based on the businesses’ self-identification provided on the registration form. Tracks are determined by businesses that are related. All tracks are judged according to the same criteria and rubric. Winners from each track will be selected to then compete in the finals in the afternoon.
Presentation Structure & Guidelines
The Mohawk Valley EAC Business Plan Competition will follow the presentation structure below:
Each presentation will be no more than ten (10) minutes in length, followed by a five (5) minute question period from the judges. The judges will have a five (5) minute deliberation period between business presentations. The presentation order for the first round of the pitches will be provided on the schedule upon registration and check-in on April 24, 2026. The second round of pitches will be determined from the winners of the morning tracks. The schedule for the second round of presentations will be provided prior to the presentations.
Please Note: Presenters are not permitted to provide any product samples to the judges during the presentation.
Presentation Content
The Mohawk Valley Entrepreneurship Assistance Center (MVEAC) recommends the business to seek to address the following questions in your presentation as outlined in the Mohawk Valley EAC Business Plan Competiton Rulebook
Judging Criteria
Judges will use a rubric to evaluate each team. Judges will focus their deliberations on the long-term viability and sustainable competitive advantage of each venture. The judging panels will be composed of a mix of investors and industry experts, including venture capitalists, angel investors, investment bankers, experienced entrepreneurs and leaders from the business community. Any judges who have mentored or otherwise engaged with any competing participants of the MVEAC Business Competition will not be eligible to judge in any level of the competition.