Competition Outline

Abstract, Business Plan, Pitch

 You can read the competition rules and regulations here.

Stage 1: Abstract

Proteus Team Gathers

The abstract will allow the Competition organizers to determine who the team is composed of, who the target market is, and if the team has an understanding of their selected technology.

Format Requirements

N

Word limit assigned to individual questions

N

Times New Roman, 12pt Font

N

1 inch margins

N

Format: PDF

Submission Requirements

N

Project Title

N

Team Name

N

Team Captain: Name, Email Address, Phone Number, Area of Expertise

N

Which technology will you be pursuing?

N

Please describe how the technology works (Limit: 250 words)

N

Who is your target market and what will they use it for? (Limit: 250 words)

N

Additional Team Members: Name, Email Address, Specialty

Deadline: January 12, 2024

Stage 2: Business Plan

Man presents at workshop

The business plan will allow the competition organizers to assess the viability of the submitted commercialization strategy.

Format Requirements

N

Page Limit: 4 pages (single spaced)

N

Maximum 5 exhibit/appendix items

N

Times New Roman, 12pt Font

N

1 inch margins

N

Format: PDF

Submission Requirements

N

Include team name, members and technology

N

Describe the Market: Define the problem, describe the size and scope of the problem

N

Describe the Technology: How does it solve the problem? How is it better/different from the competition? Is it ready to go, or does it need to be further developed (what needs to be done, cost and time)?

N

Describe how the Technology gets to Market Who will use the technology? Who will pay for the technology? Who will produce, distribute, sell, and maintain the technology? Understand the scale of the opportunity

Deadline: February 21, 2024
Business Plan Submissions Are Closed

Stage 3: Pitch

Proteus winning team with big cheque

The pitch is the final stage of the Competition. Competitors who make it to this round will have to deliver a pitch in front of an audience and a panel of expert judges.

Format Requirements

N

Time limit: 5 minutes

N

PowerPoint Slides allowed

N

1 Team member minimum

Submission Requirements (in no particular order)

N

Describe the technology

N

What is the problem you are solving?

N

Market strategy

N

Competitive analysis

N

About the team

In preparation for the pitch, teams may submit slides to proteusic@uwo.ca by 11:59 p.m. on March 26, 2024. If teams do not submit slides by this time, it will be assumed that no slides will be part of the pitch.

Date of Pitch: March 27, 2024

Testimonials

"The Proteus competition was an extremely positive experience that allowed me to combine my research expertise in medical innovation with business training from mentors at WORLDiscoveries, to make a compelling pitch for a real-world surgical technology. Proteus has served as a springboard for me to connect with the broader entrepreneurship community at Western, and develop skills to become a strong candidate for my current role as a Medical Innovation Fellow.”

-Adam Paish, Western PhD’20, Proteus Winner 2019

"The whole year, our mindset has been how to bring medical technology to the market. We were excited to have a chance to work on this. Proteus was a great learning opportunity as they guided us through how to create a business plan and how to do a business pitch.”

–Esther Lau, MD, Western Medical Innovation Fellow, Proteus Winner 2017

"Our team was able to leverage our differences to our advantage since each one offered different insights and perspectives, which proved to be extremely helpful in coming up with a business plan. Don’t be afraid to find problems, embrace them and work around them. When we first started, there were many things that we didn’t understand about the technology or how to take it to market. There were moments where we were a little nervous, but in the end we tackled each problem head on and resolved them along the way."

-Connor Holmes, Western BMOS Student, Proteus Winner 2021