4、参加创业竞赛

    2011年莱斯大学创业计划大赛（Rice Competition）的冠军团队“TNG制药”赢得了大约65万美元的奖金。

    很多知名商学院都会举办面向在校学生和校友的创业计划大赛，为他们的创业方案提供奖金支持。【《财富》杂志（Fortune）也是莱斯大学创业计划大赛（the Rice University Business Plan Competition）的赞助者之一。】这类竞赛可以说是获得种子基金的绝佳途径，因为一般来说并不需要偿还这笔钱。还有一些风投公司、非营利机构或致力于推动商业发展的政府机构，甚至是一些图书馆都会举办类似的竞赛。可以登陆BizPlanCompetitions.com网站，了解近期商业竞赛的相关信息。

4. Hit the contest circuit

    The top team at the 2011 Rice Competition, TNG Pharmaceuticals, took home prizes valued at nearly $650,000.

    Many major business schools run competitions for students and alumni, awarding prize money to help fund their startups. (Fortune is a sponsor of the Rice University Business Plan Competition.) These can be a great source of seed money, largely because you generally don't have to pay it back. Some venture firms, nonprofits, government agencies that foster business development, and even libraries run contests too. To find out about upcoming contests, visit BizPlanCompetitions.com.