Scrooge Strategy

Women entrepreneurs: Submit an idea, win $1,000 by this Friday

20 comments — written on March 27th, 2007

Here’s a great chance to get your idea in front of top entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. And there’s a twist: at least half the team must be made up of young women.

Women2.0 flyer

Women 2.0 invites you to submit your business idea on a paper napkin no larger than 7×7 inches. Put it down, mark it up, and propose to us your most innovative solution, an emerging technology, a way to save the world, a way to become rich! We want you to launch your new business idea! Submit as many business ideas on napkins as you can and want.

[...]

At least half of the team must be female and at least half of the team must be under 35…We are accepting business ideas that are in concept stage or in beta launch only. The competition is for new, independent ventures in the seed, start-up, or early stage.

Winners get $1000 and a meeting with Michael Moritz of Sequoia or Tim Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

The deadline is this Friday, and it’s just an idea on a napkin, so I encourage everyone to apply. If you don’t have a team, add a comment on this post to try to meet others.

See the full details here. This event is part of the excellent Women2.0 organization.

Get chapter 1 of my New York Times best-selling book for free

Sign up for my newsletter and I will send you my first chapter instantly

  • Free negotiation scripts
  • Bonus entrepreneurship videos
  • Tactics to earn more money

20 comments

Leave your own

  1. 1
    March 27, 2007

    Stewart

    Is this really a good idea? Tell another company all of your business ideas! If I were them I’d just award the prize to the 3rd or 4th best idea and keep the rest…

  2. 2
    March 27, 2007

    Ramit Sethi

    Ideas are cheap–especially ideas that would fit on a napkin. It’s about the execution. I wrote about this in Your Idea Isn’t Good Enough to Keep Secret.

  3. 3
    March 27, 2007

    Colin Nederkoorn

    While the idea behind the contest is good – get more women entrepreneuring (is that a verb?), the execution is weak. Every little bit helps, but $1000 isnt going to make the difference between starting or not starting a company

  4. 4
    March 27, 2007

    K

    I agree with Ramit. Ideas, however good, are a dime a dozen. I’ve got a list of 50 good ideas. Why only 50? Because I limit the list to 50. New entries have to be better than old.

    Unfortunately old is what I am (35, over the threshold).

  5. 5
    March 27, 2007

    Philip Plante

    Ideas are cheap, and sadly people don’t realize that. Like Ramit said, until you act upon the idea it is nothing but an idea. Its not worth $10 million dollars, its not worth anything until its executed.

    Just a sad fact most people don’t realize.

  6. 6
    March 27, 2007

    Shaherose

    All you intelligent, driven, dynamic women out there, stop reading this. Napkins are cheaper than ideas, talk is even cheapter – Just make it happen; pull out a pen and tear up that napkin with your best idea!

    This one is for you – embrace it!

  7. 7
    March 27, 2007

    Shaherose

    Colin,

    $1000 won’t make a difference, sure maybe. What about access to 12 stellar judges in one room? What about access to two high profile VCs?

    Let’s calculate the net worth of the people you can access through the Napkin Challenge – priceless in my opinion.

    Is this weak execution? Did we miss something?

  8. 8
    March 27, 2007

    Angie Chang

    I don’t think it’s anyone’s place to discourage anyone else from trying. Highlighting the negative and being snarky is something the media does, not the startup CEOs and fearless entrepreneurs.

    Colin: Like your blog states, “Your thoughts influence what happens to you.”

    Women 2.0 encourages young entrepreneurs to try, because you never know what will happen until you venture forward. $1000 is may not be a lot of money for someone aiming to build the next Google or Yahoo web 2.0 acquisition, but if it can incite people to venture forward in any way…

    And I completely agree, execution is key. The April 25th Pitch Event will allow finalists and participants to interact with our Judging Panel of top executives, venture capitalists, and successful entrepreneurs.

    Learn from the best. Women 2.0 is providing another opportunity to meet, interact, and mix with the best, along with your like-minded, motivated peers interested in business, technology, and entrepreneurship.

    Thanks for posting this, Ramit. Entrepreneurship is a great way to create valuable experiences, gain leverage and keep yourself competitive. Might as well be venturesome, especially while we’re still young (Rich Dad, Poor Dad, anyone?).

  9. 9
    March 27, 2007

    Margo

    I’m young and female if someone needs a teammate :D

  10. 10
    March 28, 2007

    prlinkbiz

    “I agree with Ramit. Ideas, however good, are a dime a dozen.

    Unfortunately old is what I am (35, over the threshold).”

    Good thing your blogging partner in crime is 29!

    I do work for a company that got its start as a licensing company- they are big on protecting your ideas- they really are your number one asset.

    That being said, even they see the world is changing. And for the record, if you have a really great idea that you are passionate about- chances are, nobody wants to steal it- or will not have the passion needed to bring it to life (tech perhaps excluded). Still,we can’t be afraid to share our ideas.

  11. 11
    March 28, 2007

    V-MAC

    Here’s a msg from “The Secret” in addition to my input:

    What you ask, vision and feel will come into existence. This contest could be someone’s helping hand on their path to whatever they envisioned.

  12. 12
    March 28, 2007

    K

    “Good thing your blogging partner in crime is 29! ”

    Yeah, rub it in E!
    I can’t see why they couldn’t have made 36 their threshold…grumble, grumble, grumble.

    Yep, its not about the $1,000. Its about access to resources. Its about confidence. Its about finally taking action and getting your s*** out there.

  13. 13
    March 28, 2007

    Lorena

    I’m overnighting my napkins ASAP! :0) This is a great opportunity! Thanks Ramit.

  14. 14
    March 28, 2007

    Broke-Ass Student » Blog Archive » $1,000 Prize Opportunity for Young Female Entrepreneurs

    [...] Ramit Sethi posted about an opportunity for female entrepreneurs to submit an idea on a paper napkin and win $1,000 by Friday. Women 2.0 invites you to submit your business idea on a paper napkin no larger than 7×7 [...]

  15. 15
    March 29, 2007

    Laura

    I’m also young and female and would be interested in joining a team. I also may start my own, tbd for now.

  16. 16
    March 30, 2007

    s.lee

    great idea. sadly i saw it too late. thanks for adding things like these to the site.

  17. 17
    March 30, 2007

    melissa

    I beg to differ. I started my small business w/$1500 and made that back w/in a couple of months. nd I had sooooo many people tell me, “oh I had that idea years ago”. Well, why didn’t you do anything with it then? I have no patience for those people. Like many people here have said, ideas and talk about them are cheap. Sctually getting up off your butt w/ your $1000 (or whatever you have to invest) is the difference between making it and not making it.

  18. 18
    March 30, 2007

    Zachary

    I tried to get my wife to submit an idea; but, alas, no such luck.

  19. 19
    April 5, 2007

    morganusvitus

    The site looks great ! Thanks for all your help ( past, present and future !)

  20. 20
    April 5, 2007

    Kent

    “Sanitary napkin” is the first thing that comes to my mind when I see the logo for this event, together with the words “women” and “napkin” — not pleasant.

How much have you saved
using Ramit's advice?





$
Only numbers please