IDEAHUB - BUSINESS PLAN EVALUATION CRITERIA

IDEAHUB BUSINESS PLAN EVALUATION Page 1 of 4

Business Name:____________________________________________ Date Submitted:________________

BIMAC Member: __________________________________________ Review Date:___________________

I. WRITTEN BUSINESS PLAN:
Please evaluate the Written Business Plan using the criteria below:
Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent
1. Executive Summary & Company Overview 1 2 3 4 5
Executive Summary is clear & effective as a stand-alone document.
Comments/Questions:
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Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent
2. Products or Services 1 2 3 4 5
Is the product or service clearly identified? Attributes? Advantages and potential drawbacks? Why/how product/service compelling?
What is the stage of development? Does it have a proprietary position or intellectual property protection planned or in place? Does the
plan show the quality of the product or service? Are the products and/or services overly complex (few products/services)?
Comments/Questions: what is unique, innovative or technologically different?
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Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent
3. Market Need 1 2 3 4 5
What specific conditions in the market have created the need? How will product/service take advantage of the opportunity? Who are
the customers and what are their attributes? Does plan clearly define potential customers and why they will pay for product or service?
Comments/Questions:
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IDEAHUB - BUSINESS PLAN EVALUATION CRITERIA
IDEAHUB BUSINESS PLAN EVALUATION Page 2 of 4

Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent
4. Market Potential for Product or Service 1 2 3 4 5
Did plan define - characteristics of the market for this product or service? How will the product reach market? How big is the market
opportunity: number of potential customers & annual sales? Is market manageable segment? Plan to dominate the market?
e.g. through pricing, quality, geography, etc? Identified market niche to give competitive advantage? Does the product or service offer a
long-term benefit?
Comments/Questions:
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Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent
5. Competitive Advantage 1 2 3 4 5
Competitive Matrix: Who are the competitors? Strengths & weaknesses? How will close the gap? How easily can
competition close gap?
Comments/Questions:
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Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent
6. Management 1 2 3 4 5
Who are key team members and their respective roles? What are their relevant experiences and accomplishments?
What other areas of expertise or lacking? When will they need additional team members?

Comments/Questions:
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7. Financial Forecasts (Presented in summary form, consistent with plan and effective in capturing financial
performance; i.e. quarterly for first two years, annually for years 3-5.)
Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent
a. Income Statement 1 2 3 4 5
b. Balance Sheet 1 2 3 4 5
c. Funds Required & Uses 1 2 3 4 5
d. Key Assumptions (trends, comparatives) 1 2 3 4 5
Does the plan contain realistic financial projections covering most likely pessimistic, and optimistic scenarios? Does the
plan show good profit potential? Does the team have a personal investment in the venture?
Comments/Questions:
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IDEAHUB - BUSINESS PLAN EVALUATION CRITERIA
IDEAHUB BUSINESS PLAN EVALUATION Page 3 of 4

II. VIABILITY OF BUSINESS PROPOSED
Definitely Definitely
Not viable Viable
1. Market Opportunity 1 2 3 4 5
(clear market need, size, purchasing power, and way to
seize the opportunity.)

2. Distinctive Competence 1 2 3 4 5
(new venture presents something novel, unique or special
to provide competitive advantage in target market.)

3. Management Capability 1 2 3 4 5
(team can effectively launch & develop the venture.)

4. Financial Understanding 1 2 3 4 5
(team has solid understanding of financial requirements of
the business and realistic financial projections; team has personal investment in the business venture)

Adequate Strong
Weak Plan Initial Plan Plan

5. Investment Potential and Plan Strength 1 2 3 4 5



No Viable Absolutely
Compatibility YES
6. Green /Energy Focus or related product/service 0 10 20

Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent
7. Strategy 1 2 3 4 5
(Does the plan lay out a well-conceived, workable strategy for getting the business up and running?)

Written Plan Additional Comments:
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Additional Comments:
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IDEAHUB - BUSINESS PLAN EVALUATION CRITERIA
IDEAHUB BUSINESS PLAN EVALUATION Page 4 of 4

III. PRESENTATION /Interview IF Requested by BIMAC

Weak Adequate Strong
1. Formal Presentation
a. Materials presented in clear, logical form 1 2 3 4 5
b. Ability to relate need for the start up,
convincing, compelling reasons 1 2 3 4 5
2. Questions and Answers
a. Ability to understand BIMAC inquiries 1 2 3 4 5


b. Responds appropriately to BIMAC inquiries
with substantive answers 1 2 3 4 5


c. Effective use of time allocated 1 2 3 4 5


d. Poise and confidence (think effectively on their feet) 1 2 3 4 5




Presentation Additional Comments
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