The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is launching the BPI Sinag U, a nationwide students’ competition that aims to encourage entrepreneurship and promote the growth of young entrepreneurs nationwide.
The competition is open to all senior/graduating students as of 15 September 2017 (application deadline) who are of good moral and academic standing.
Below are the guidelines for the competition. Application form can be downloaded here: http://sinag.bpifoundation.org/download/sinag-u-appform.xlsx
List of nominees with their accomplished application form must be submitted to ovcsa@upd.edu.ph on or before Friday, 18 August 2017.
GUIDELINES FOR THE BPI SINAG U COMPETITION
Dear University Partners,
We are glad to announce that we are officially opening BPI SINAG U 2017 for applications!
It’s been a pleasure working with all of our University Partners these past few weeks and we are excited to meet our regional finalists! Take note, you have until September 15, 2017 to field in your entries!
As you conduct the in-school selection, we encourage you to select the best of the best within your University! Aside from the standard criteria of social impact, business model, innovation, and pitch presentation, we encourage you to consider the IMPLEMENTATION ABILITY of the teams to ensure that they are capable of using the grant funding to implement their business ideas should they win BPI SINAG U.
Below is a list of things to consider to help you in the in-school selection process:
Does the business have a proof of concept/working prototype?
We highly encourage teams to have a proof of concept/working prototype as this will be an added advantage to demonstrate the viability of their business plans. The objective is to show how their business plans provide innovative and doable solutions to address pressing social problems.
Does the team have the technical experience/network to be able to implement the business idea?
One of the prizes of the winners of BPI SINAG U is a PhP100,000 grant funding which must be used by the team to implement their business idea. Teams must have good technical skills or have access to technical networks to implement the business according to plan. They should also be able to present a preliminary modely of their product or service or research data which can support and prove their implementation ability of the business.
To guide you further, here are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the BPI SINAG U application process:
1. Who are allowed to join BPI SINAG U 2017?
BPI SINAG U 2017 is open to all senior/graduating students as of September 15, 2017 (application deadline) who are of good moral and academic standing.
2. Do you have a specific format of the entries that our students need to submit?
Yes, we do. The form may be downloaded here: http://sinag.bpifoundation.org/download/sinag-u-appform.xlsx and may also be downloaded through www.sinagbpifoundation.org. All applications must be submitted in excel format. PDF, Word, and hard/printed copies will not be accepted.
3. Do you have a required number of pages, specific details needed about the business proposal?
We have not set a maximum number of pages. However, please ensure that your applicants supply all the information required in the entry form.
4. Do the applicants of the in-school selection need to apply via a BPI Sinag U web link?
Only the selected top 3 shall submit their applications to BPI SINAG U. BPI SINAG U will not screen applications during the in-school selection process. We will leave the selection to the School Coordinator.
5. How do we submit our applications?
To minimize our carbon footprint, we will not be accepting hard copies. Applications of the Top 3 teams per university may be submitted by email to bpisinag.u@gmail.com in excel format no later than 5 PM, September 15, 2017.
The following need to be submitted:
1. Duly accomplished application form (attached in this email or can be downloaded at www.sinag.bpifoundation.org)
2. 2-minute video uploaded in the BPI SINAG U YouTube channel (Please refer to the video instructions attached in this email)
The top 3 in-school competition winners are required to submit a one-minute video through the BPI SINAG U website. It should have the following basic content:
1. What is the social/environmental problem you are trying to address?
2. What is your proposed business solution?
We will be sending you some materials to help promote the competition in your respective universities. Please expect the materials to arrive in the next few weeks.
Should you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to email or call us.
We look forward to receiving your submissions!
Thank you very much.
BPI SINAG-U Secretariat
BPI Foundation
16/F BPI Head Office
Ayala Ave cor Paseo de Roxas
Makati City
Tel. No. (02) 816-9681
