About DNLU
Dharmashastra National Law University (DNLU) is a National Law University established in 2018 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. As of 2021, the university is led by Sanjiv Sachdeva, the Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, serving as the Chancellor, and Prof. Manoj Kumar Sinha as the Vice-Chancellor.
About the Competition
The 1st National Legal Start-Up & Business Plan Ideation Competition is a national-level initiative designed to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the legal sector.
Organized by Vidyaranya – Academic Outreach Committee in association with the Startup Facilitation Cell at DNLU, Jabalpur, the competition provides a platform for students, professionals, and researchers to present their innovative legal startup concepts.
Theme: “Law in Business & Management: Navigating the Intersection of Law, Justice, and Management”
The legal domain plays a pivotal role in influencing the business and management landscape. From regulatory compliance and corporate governance to dispute resolution and ethical business practices, legal frameworks serve as essential mechanisms for decision-making, risk mitigation, and ensuring justice in commercial transactions.
This competition encourages participants to explore innovative business models that integrate legal principles with management strategies.
Participants may propose startups focused on legal-tech solutions, corporate compliance mechanisms, or business models that enhance access to justice. The challenge is to develop sustainable, legally sound, and strategically viable business plans.
Participants should identify real-world business or management issues where law plays a crucial role and present strategic solutions that uphold legal compliance, ethical governance, and business efficiency.
Team Composition
- Individual Participation: Open to individuals willing to participate independently.
- Team Participation: Participants may form teams of two or three members.
Rules
- After the presentation, each team will undergo a Q&A session with the judging panel.
- The decisions of the organizers and judges are final. Any disputes will be resolved at the discretion of the organizing committee.
- Teams must not disclose their identity (university or college name) in the report or presentation. Any violation will result in negative marking or possible disqualification.
- Participants are not allowed to propose fictional or futuristic technologies. The competition strictly focuses on real-world, present-day solutions.
- The university is not responsible for any intellectual property rights violations. Participants must ensure their submissions do not infringe upon third-party rights.
Eligibility
The competition is open to:
- Undergraduate and postgraduate students from any academic discipline, including law, business, management, engineering, and related fields.
- Professionals who have recently launched a startup, are in the ideation stage, or have initiated a business venture.
There are no restrictions on the stage of business development. Whether a participant is at the conceptual stage, has started operations, or is refining an existing idea, they will be evaluated on the strength, feasibility, and viability of the concept rather than the stage of the startup.
Stages of the Competition
1. Initial Submission Round
- Participants must submit a detailed Business Plan by the deadline.
- The plan should cover the business idea, legal and management aspects, feasibility, and implementation strategy.
2. Shortlisting of Top 10 Teams
- The top 10 teams will be selected based on the innovation, legal soundness, feasibility, and business strategy presented in their submission.
3. Final Presentation Round
- The shortlisted teams will present their business plan before a jury using a PowerPoint presentation.
- If the business model requires a mock drill or demonstration, it must be incorporated into the presentation.
4. Q&A Round with Judges
- After the presentation, judges will engage with the teams in a Q&A session to assess the depth and viability of the idea.
- Each team will have a total of 15 minutes, including both the presentation and Q&A session.
Submission Guidelines
- The final submission must not exceed 20 pages. The business plan document should be within 15 pages, with an additional 5 pages for supporting documents.
- All submissions should be in soft copy format (PDF only).
- The submissions will go through a double-blind peer review; hence, no personal information should be included in the document beyond the required content.
- Formatting requirements:
- Font: Times New Roman
- Font Size: 12 (for text), 10 (for footnotes)
- Line Spacing: 1.5 (for text), Single (for footnotes)
- Participants are encouraged to incorporate creative elements within their submissions.
Business Plan Format
- Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Business Idea in Detail – Objective of the idea, initiative details, and plans for implementation.
- Problem Statement – Background of the business idea, identifying the key issue being addressed.
- Solution – Proposed solution and its potential effectiveness.
- Market Analysis – Size of the market and potential beneficiaries, including:
- SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
- PESTEL Analysis (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal factors)
- Competition – Analysis of existing solutions and how the proposed model stands out.
- Unique Selling Proposition (USP) – Differentiating factors that make the idea unique.
- Execution Plan – Stepwise breakdown of execution.
- Legal Compliance & Intellectual Property (IP) Protection –
- Laws governing the startup setup and registration
- IP protection strategies for branding, services, and technology
- Financials – Current and projected financial performance, including:
- Sources of funding
- Revenue model
- Fund allocation strategy
- Milestones – Key achievements planned within the legal domain.
Registration Details
- Registration Fee: ₹200
- Registration Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdcMXQng99HgSkcnOnAKpfb9OtiReIv4TtujDNaTsp8y1iR9w/viewform
Important Dates
- Registration Opens: 15 March 2025
- Registration Closes: 30 March 2025
- Business Plan Submission Deadline: 2 April 2025 (by midnight)
- Announcement of Shortlisted Teams: 5 April 2025
- Presentation Rounds: 19 April 2025
Contact Information
For any queries, reach out via outreach@mpdnlu.ac.in.
