With more than $450,000 in prizes awarded in its first three years and a grand prize worth $50,000, the BPC is one of the nation's premier business plan contests. The first phase is a 250-word abstract due by 5 p.m., Jan. 31.

ePlan Developed for entrepreneurs who are actively seeking capital, ePlan helps entrepreneurs grab investors' attention. ePlan is an electronic recording of an entrepreneur's investor presentation placed on a secure server, making it viewable from anywhere with an internet connection. The presentation is also bundled onto a mini-CD with an electronic copy of the entrepreneur’s business plan and executive summary.

On-demand Videos WAN produces, records and posts educational videos about raising capital. A recent and popular video post is How to Win the Governor’s Business Plan Contest.

Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network (WEN) Entrepreneurs looking for services and information on developing business plans, business strategy and training opportunities can tap into numerous resources available at WEN. Get answers to questions and a quick start toward growth and success.

Below are a few unique resources about which entrepreneurs may not have heard. They are well worth clicking through.

HillSearch
Compiled by the non-profit James J. Hill Reference Library in St. Paul, HillSearch is an information-rich, on-line resource that gives entrepreneurs access to databases normally reserved for companies with large budgets. Entrepreneurs can use HillSearch to better identify target markets, industry trends, and competition—all vital to writing a great business plan. Currently there is a free 10-day trial offer. Set aside a weekend, sign-up, watch the on-line tutorial and start researching. If you find it useful, there is a reasonable monthly subscription fee.

WAN asked the WEN directors what resources, aside from their own, they find useful when working with clients. Here are their responses:

FastTrac Toolkit David Linz, Southeast director
This site is very comprehensive. There are special sections for each of these areas: New Venture, Growth Venture, and Tech Venture. As you dig down, there are many additional resources under each module, including an entrepreneurial readiness questionnaire which gives guidance based on the responses, outlines for doing business plans and marketing studies, excel spreadsheets for doing detailed cost estimates and financials, references for resources, and many more.

Startup Journal Kurt Waldhuetter, Northeast director
This site captures Wall Street Journal articles focused on entrepreneurs and start-ups. It has a bit of everything including franchising, financing, e-commerce, and advice on running a business. There is also a blog section and several discussion groups focused on specific aspects of owning and running a small business.

bioentrepreneur Ayla Annac, Southwest director
This site is designed specifically for biotech entrepreneurs. It contains useful information, business tips and articles designed for biotech start-ups. Some highlights include the latest bioindustry trends, how to build a biotech business, profiles on successful biotech start-ups, unique avenues for financing, and a tool-kit for researching biotech patents.

More than $4 million in deals were reported to WAN in December.

ConjuGon $3.3 million by Rosetta Partners
BioSystems Development $715,000 by Marshfield Investment Partners* and Silicon Pastures*
*WAN Investor-member

Investors
A night of networking, investing and regional collaboration February 6th, 5 p.m., Madison

Kiva.org Madison Launch January 26, 5 pm, Madison
Kiva is a non-profit public benefit corporation helping people to connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world.

Please send event suggestions to info@wisconsinangelnetwork.com.