About this event
Independent Business Plan (event code EIB) is for one to three chapter members who develop a comprehensive proposal to start a new business of any type and then request financing for it in a role-play interview. The judge plays a bank or venture capital official and evaluates as if actually approving or rejecting the request. The written entry follows a fixed outline: executive summary, problem and business opportunity, customer segments and channels, unique value proposition and competitive advantage, solution, revenue model and key metrics, cost structure, detailed financials (monthly first-year income statements and cash flow, year-end balance sheet, three-year plan and a plan to meet capital needs are recommended), conclusion and financing request, bibliography and optional appendix. The written entry is capped at 20 numbered pages (appendix included, title page and table of contents excluded), must follow the published outline with every section titled, and must have the signed Statement of Assurances in front; penalty points come off for formatting violations. ICDC qualifiers upload the entry through DECA's online submission system in the weeks before the conference (DECA posts each year's window on its ICDC page; the 2026 window ran March 25 to April 8) and the chapter advisor must log in to verify it. The presentation is up to 15 minutes including the judge's questions, every team member must take part, and only hand-carried visual aids are allowed. Written entry and presentation are each scored out of 100 for a 200-point total before penalties.
What judges score
What judges score
Study resources
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