For the second consecutive year, Baruch students have the chance to put their entrepreneurial talents and aspirations to the test. Teams of potential entrepreneurs participating in Baruch's 2001–2002 Entrepreneurship Competition will develop and submit business plans for innovative new startups and business ventures, vying for substantial cash prizes: $10,000 to the first-place winners, $5,000 for second place, and $2,500 for third place. And, if the first-place team's idea is judged promising enough to warrant startup assistance, they may receive a grand prize of as much as $50,000.
 Baruch College students in any discipline at the junior, senior, graduate, or doctoral level are eligible, as long as they are in good academic standing. Teams may also include members who are not students at the College, but each team must have at least two Baruch students as members. At several stages and rounds of the competition, teams submit successive drafts of their business plans to a panel of judges composed of prominent business executives and veteran entrepreneurs. Competitors receive feedback and advisement both from mentors who are experienced business professionals and from faculty members. The judges will pick the winners in May 2002, and awards will be presented during graduation week.
Arthur S. Ainsberg ('68, MBA '72), COO of Bessent Capital LLP, and Larry Zicklin ('57, LHD [Hon.] '99), chairman of the board of the investment firm Neuberger Berman, were behind the idea for the competition and provided the funding and prize money. "We wanted this to be the real thing, not just a classroom exercise," says Ainsberg. It's a means, Zicklin says, to "offer both intellectual guidance and practical help in the difficult startup stage of launching a new business."
Last year, nearly 200 students with 46 different business concepts participated in various stages of the competition, with 11 teams making it to the final round. The winning team presented a persuasive proposal for Global IT Jobs, a recruiting firm that will place Indian information technology professionals in high-tech positions in the United States, India, and an expanding European market. Coming in second was TravelTrak, a real-time shipment tracking system using global positioning satellites, and third place went to MB2MB, a consulting and training service for small and minority businesses. In addition to the first-place prize, Global IT Jobs was awarded the $50,000 grand prize for seed money to develop their business.
For more information about the Baruch College Entrepreneurship Competition, visit www.baruch.cuny.edu/bcec. 
—Teri L. Maiorca
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From left, alumnus Arthur Ainsberg; Rajat Beri, leader of last year's winning team; and Barry Dumas, professor of computer information systems and coordinator of the program. Ainsberg and Larry Zicklin launched the Entrepreneurship Competition.
Two budding entrepreneurs discuss their plans at a reception for Baruch's Second Annual Entrepreneurship Competition.
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