February 14 – March 15, 2013
What? The US Embassy to Croatia is seeking entries from university students for the Ron Brown Apprentice Program. Through the program, the Embassy invites Croatian university students to come up with the next Facebook, Apple iPhone, or hybrid car. The program aims to promote entrepreneurism, the development of sound business practices, and the promotion of the free market system in Southeast Europe. The winners of the Croatian competition will then go on to compete against other students in Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, and possibly others in a region-wide competition for the best business plan. The competition is envisioned in the format of Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, in that successful business people in the region will evaluate the projects against one another blindly.
Why Apply? The top 3 submissions of the Ron Brown Apprentice Program contest in Croatia will travel to Zadar to attend the Ron Brown Forum: Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital, April 8-9. In Zadar, the Croatian students will compete against their counterparts for three prizes. Attendance of the Brown Forum will provide an opportunity for the students to network with some of the most influential venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in Europe and visiting from the United States. Previous Ron Brown Apprentice competitors have won seed money for their projects, internships with major companies, and career mentors. An iPad will be awarded to the winner for first prize for the best business plan. An iPhone will be awarded as the second prize, and an iPod will be awarded as the third prize.
Where and How? Submissions must be a one-page business abstract, in English; the second page should include with the full budget for the proposed business venture on the second page. The name of the country should not be mentioned in the abstract. The business plan should be one that can be applied elsewhere. Submissions must be sent to no later than midnight, March 14, 2013. A panel of Embassy experts will select the winners for the Croatian competition, who will be notified by March 22. Students from ages 18-25 are eligible to submit a business plan. You must be either currently enrolled in an undergraduate program or graduated from an undergraduate program within the last 2 years. Business plans must be sent to the U.S. Embassy at paozagreb@gmail.com with “The Ron Brown Apprentice Program” in the Subject field of the e-mail. Each participant must also submit a CV and basic biographical information – name, age, school/university, email, and phone number. Business plan submissions that do not comply with the U.S. Embassy guidelines or contain prohibited, inappropriate, irrelevant, or copied content will be disqualified, removed from the selection, and not considered for a prize.If you have questions on the contest, please address them to ratkovicv@state.gov, subject: "The Ron Brown Apprentice Program."
