??? 當然，你可能有一個很棒的創業點子，這個點子很可能極大地改變你所在的行業，甚至有一天能夠改變整個世界。但正如很多未來的創業家在萊斯大學（Rice University）創業計劃大賽中學到的那樣，光是一個好點子并不會為人贏得掌聲、榮譽，或者說最重要的東西——投資。

????萊斯創業計劃大賽普遍被譽為規模最大、獎金額最高的創業比賽。大賽第一天，由往屆冠軍和決賽入圍者組成的評審委員會聚在一起，討論需要滿足什么條件才能授予最高獎項。討論結果是一個出色的創業計劃團隊需要具備的素質與一個成熟的商業團隊并無二致。下面是從評委們的討論中得出的一些重點：

精心包裝，閃亮登場

????如果演示乏味，即便是金點子，能夠治好全世界最嚴重的絕癥，聽眾可能也會無動于衷。“我們當時似乎讓評委不時地驚嘆，”TNG Pharmaceuticals的首席執行官詹尼?考賓稱，他們是去年的冠軍、來自路易斯維爾大學（University of Louisville）的團隊。“他們感嘆的是產品的粗糙。但我們最后讓他們露出了笑容。”TNG推介的是一種可解決角蠅之害的牛疫苗，角蠅每年給養牛業造成的損失高達10億美元左右。

????因此，不管是展示個人風采，還是做出精彩（但具有意義的）演示，必須牢牢抓住聽眾的心。

結識評委

????正式推介之余找評委聊聊。評委們可是專門抽出幾天的時間參與評選，認真考察選手的創業點子。“比賽中最重要的事情是和評委交流，融入那種氛圍，”高塔姆?甘地稱，他的初創企業——醫療設備和患者安全解決方案提供商Clearcount贏得了2004年的萊斯創業大賽。“我在正式演示前就已經和每位評委碰過面，他們已經提前對我的公司有了一定的了解。”擔任今年大賽評委的甘地目前就職于谷歌（Google），領導這家科技巨頭在印度的新業務發展項目。

????大賽評委通常是各自所在行業的領袖，如果能下些功夫結識這些人，就算最終沒有獲獎，也收寶貴的人脈。

?微笑著接受批評

????接受批評并肯定不是什么好滋味，特別是當著一幫陌生人。但這正是很多商界人士每天都要面對的事情；賣點子，賣產品，面對的顧客往往都是滿腹狐疑的陌生人。因此，要習慣以一個勝者的姿態去接受批評。RhoMania首席執行官戴倫?奧森稱：“把評委的挑剔性提問當做是給你一個證明的機會。”RhoMania是一家iPad葡萄酒菜單初創企業，同時也是去年萊斯大賽的決賽入圍者。“不要亂了手腳。”

????不過，同時也要清楚一點，評委和潛在投資者一樣，他們每個人對于什么樣的商業計劃是可行的都有自己的看法，而且評委之間也并不總能達成一致意見。尼考拉斯?斯特說：“有時候，（評委給出的）反饋（會）互相矛盾。因此，也不能盲目接受。”他的初創企業Auditude贏得了2004年的大賽（2011年11月，Adobe以約1.20億美元收購了Auditude部分業務）。“必須親自實踐什么是對的，什么不是。”

????Sure, you may have a brilliant business idea that could very well change your industry, maybe even the world some day. But, as plenty of budding entrepreneurs learned Thursday at Rice University's Business Plan Competition, a solid idea alone will not win you much in praise, prizes, or, most importantly, investment.

????On the first day of Rice's competition, which is widely touted as the largest and richest of all business plan competitions, a panel of previous years' winners and finalists gathered to discuss what it actually takes to win the top prize. As it turns out, the ideal qualities in a successful business plan competition team are not all that different from those you'd want to see in any solid business group. Here are a few highlights that emerged from their conversation:

Razzle and dazzle them

????Even a profitable solution to some of the world's most serious ills can fall on deaf ears if the presentation falls flat. "We seemed to make the judges 'ooh' and 'aah,'" said Jenny Corbin, CEO of TNG Pharmaceuticals, last year's winning team from the University of Louisville. "'Aah' over the grossness of our product. And then we made them laugh." TNG pitched a cattle vaccine that tackled the vicious horn fly, a pest that costs the cattle industry around $1 billion a year.

????So, whether it's by showing off that shining personality of yours or coming up with a slick (yet meaningful) presentation, keep your audience on their toes.

Get to know your judges

????In between your formal pitches, speak with the judges who have set aside the time to spend a few days and seriously consider your business ideas. "The most important thing in this competition is meeting the judges and being in that environment," said Gautam Gandhi, whose medical device and patient safety startup Clearcount won Rice's competition in 2004. "Before I even presented, I met every judge and they knew a little bit about the company." Gandhi, who is a judge at this year's competition, is currently at Google (GOOG), leading the tech giant's new business development projects in India.

????Competition judges are often leaders in their respective industries and even if you don't go home with a prize in hand, you will still have several valuable contacts if you put in the effort to get to know them.

Take the criticism with a smile

????Accepting criticism, especially in front of an audience of several strangers, is never fun. But that's precisely what many business people do every day; they sell their ideas and their products, often to skeptical strangers. So get used to taking it like a champ. "Look at the critical questions from the judges as them giving you the opportunity to validate what you just said," advised Darren Olson, CEO of RhoMania, an iPad wine menu app startup and a finalist at Rice's competition last year. "Do not lose your cool."

????But it's also wise to bear in mind that each judge, as with any potential investor, has her own view of what makes a solid business plan, and judges may not always agree with each other. "At some point, the feedback [will] contradict. So don't listen too much," said Nicholas Seet, whose startup Auditude won the competition in 2004 (Adobe (ADBE) acquired part of Auditude's business in November 2011 for around $120 million). " You have to go and see for yourself what's true and what's not."