You have questions? We have answers! Check out our FAQs below. You can find helpful downloads, examples of deliverables and other information on our Rules and Tools page.

• Who can compete in the Big Bang! Business Competition? 
• The competition is open to individuals and teams with a connection to a California institution of higher education — either a student, faculty, staff, or alum who is one of the founders of the team’s venture. 
• How many teams advance to each round? 

• The top teams from each round advance to the next round. The number of teams advancing to each round varies every year. 

• Can I add members to my team after the first round? 
• Yes, the composition of your team may change as the competition progresses.
• Can I change the name of my venture after the first round? 
• Yes, you may change the name of your venture, but the nature of the venture cannot completely change from what you pitched during Round 1. 
• I missed the deadline! Can I still submit? 
• To keep the competition fair, we cannot accept late submissions. If you were having technical issues and let us know the moment you were experiencing the issues, and you shared your submissions via email attachment before the deadline, we may have been able to help. Unfortunately, once the deadline has passed, we cannot accept late submissions. 
• I submitted my deliverable but noticed a typo / I uploaded the wrong version. 
• To keep the competition fair, we cannot alter submissions once the deadline has passed. 
• Are there any resources to help me write an executive summary, make customer calls, create a pitch deck, or make any of the other competition deliverables? 
• We offer workshops, templates, and other resources to help competitors refine their deliverables for the Big Bang!. 
  Learn more about workshops here.
  Download templates and examples here.
• Do I have to follow the templates for the Big Bang! deliverables? 
• Customer Call summaries must be listed out individually as the template shows, but teams aren’t required to present the call summaries in the grid provided by the template. Teams may keep identities of customers anonymous if needed, but they cannot submit one giant summary of their findings.
  Slide decks may vary in format and order of material, but teams should make sure they include all the information featured in the template deck. 
• What is the format of the final presentations? 
• Teams will complete an eight-minute pitch with a slide deck, followed by 12-minute Q&A. See examples and templates. Teams must arrive at least 20 minutes before their scheduled pitch time or they are not guaranteed time to pitch to the judges. 
• Can my family member/mentor/friend sit in the room while my team presents? 
• No, the final presentations take place in closed-door sessions. Only team members, judges, and limited staff are allowed in the room.
• What is the difference between the slide deck in Round 2 and Round 3? Do I need to submit two slide decks in Round 3? 
• For Round 2, teams must submit a detailed slide deck, or what’s commonly called a “leave-behind deck.” This slide deck should be able to stand on its own, without a presenter explaining the venture and the business model, so the slides may have more text and contain all the information needed for someone to understand the venture.
  For Round 3, teams must submit a presentation slide deck, or what’s commonly called a “presentation deck.” This is the deck that will be used during the final pitch session. The slides may be adapted from the Round 2 deck, but will likely have more visuals and less text, since details about the venture will be explained in the pitch. See templates.
• How will winning teams receive their award money? 
• Award money is distributed via check, as one check per team. If your venture is incorporated and you win a prize, the prize will be paid to the corporation. If your venture is not incorporated, it is up to you to decide how to distribute and use the prize money. Before prizes are announced and awarded, you should discuss and decide as a team how the money will be used or split. A member of each winning team must be present at the Awards Ceremony to receive the award; otherwise, the team is not eligible to win. Once the UC Davis Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has released funds, the Institute has no further role.The process for administering the awards can take up to three months.

If your question isn't answered here, check our our helpful Rules and Tools page, or feel free to reach out to aggieinnovators@ucdavis.edu.