Frequently Asked Questions

Here you will find answers to the questions we are asked most frequently about our services.

i2b Services

How much do the i2b services cost?

All i2b services are for free.

Registered users have access to all i2b services on the i2b platform.

What services does i2b offer?

i2b is an online platform, which offers various services on the subject of “business plans”:

Information on business plans

  • What is a business plan and how is it written?
  • Why is a business plan important?
  • What exactly do the content and design look like?

Tools and downloads for creating a business plan

  • Online assistant
  • i2b Business Plan Handbook
  • eLearning platform
  • Business plan template
  • Sample business plans
  • Plan4You financial planning tool

Expert feedback

  • Independent assessment of your business plan by two individual experts

Business Plan Competition

  • Austria’s largest business plan competition with an annual high-profile award ceremony in December.

Network

  • Contacts to national and regional network partners
  • Contact list of our experts

Event tips

  • Events and workshops on start-up-related topics

We put your company in the right light

Will i2b write a business plan for me?

No – i2b does not write business plans!

We see ourselves as a platform on which you can use different Online Services to support you in writing a business plan that critically assesses your business idea.

How can I write an online plan?

After you have registered and logged in to i2b, you have the option of writing a business plan with our online assistant.

Navigate in the “myi2b” menu to “Business Plan” and click on “Create New Business Plan”. Give your business plan a title (e.g. product name), enter your (planned) company name and briefly describe what your foundation is about. Then select your category and an industry or subject area that suits your business. You can then select if you are a one-person business and/or are planning a business succession. If your business plan is written in English, you can tick the appropriate box.

After agreeing to the terms of use, you now have two options:

  1. Write a plan online – you will be forwarded to the online assistant.

2. Upload PDF: If you already have a finished plan in PDF format, you can submit it for feedback or send it directly to the competition.

How does the online assistant work?

After you have set up your business plan and been forwarded to the online assistant, you can get started right away!

You will find the six business plan chapters listed and you can click into each.

Each chapter contains sub-items that you fill out and thus write your business plan. Chapters that have already been filled are marked in green; empty chapters appear in red; and the chapters that have been and are still being worked on are marked in orange.

Don’t forget to save your progress!

Once your business plan is complete, you have the option of submitting it for feedback or sending it directly to the competition.

Submission process feedback / Competition

You can send your finished business plan to the i2b Expert feedback or enter it directly in the contest.

Simply upload a PDF plan and click on “Feedback” or “Competition”, OR submit a plan that was written using the online wizard for feedback or directly to the competition.

Don’t forget to upload your financial plan as well – regardless of whether you are submitting a PDF document or an online business plan for feedback/competition!

Then click on “Save & Submit” – your business plan has been submitted!

Why submit for feedback?

Valuable outside perspectives should not be underestimated when it comes to writing a business plan. At i2b there are a large number of voluntary experts ready to help you with your business plans.

Our experts take the time to examine your plan in detail. You will receive valuable feedback that you can then incorporate into your business plan to make it even better.

A total of 3 feedback loops are available to you for each plan.

Do I have to write the business plan with the i2b tool?

No!

EITHER you write your business plan with the online assistant, OR you already have a finished plan in PDF format and upload it.

To take part in the competition, we recommend that you first export a business plan written with the online assistant and give it the finishing touches (cover sheet, table of contents, images, tables, graphics…) before you submit it to the competition.

However, it’s advisable to let our experts review your plan by submitting it for feedback.

Expert feedback

How do I submit my plan for feedback?

Registered, logged-in users can navigate to the “myi2b” area and select the menu item “Business plan”.

A new business plan can be created there.

Give your business plan a name, enter the company name, federal state and a brief description of your business idea, and then select the submission category and the industry in which you want to set up a business.

Finally, you can choose whether you want to write your business plan using our online assistant or whether you want to upload one that has already been written.

You will then get a confirmation email to let you know if everything went well!
Best of luck!

What is actually assessed? Who assesses my business plan?

After you submit your business plan(s) you will receive written expert feedback from two independent experts from the fields of start-ups, funding and financing.

The evaluations are based on criteria such as the completeness, comprehensibility and conclusiveness of the statements made in the business plan. In order to achieve the highest possible level of objectivity, our experts base their evaluation on the 125 questions listed in the handbook. In addition, the business ideas are usually questioned in terms of their chances of success and their ability to be financed (comment sections).

We would like to point out that the specialist feedback comprises our experts’ personal assessments, despite the key questions and criteria. In our opinion, this subjective rating reflects the reality of founding a company — very often contrary opinions have to be taken into account. If the feedback does not meet your expectations, please consider this as a possible perspective and potential sharpening stone for your business idea.

In the case of a repeated submission, the business plan is given to the same experts as in the first feedback round, ensuring a self-contained process. Non-revised re-submissions will therefore not receive another round of feedback.

How often can I submit my plan for feedback?

With i2b you have the possibility to use three feedback loops.

Improve your plan and incorporate the expert feedback suggestions!

Which plans receive feedback?

In principle, every submitted business plan receives feedback.

However, in order to get feedback from our experts, your plan must be complete! The completeness is checked by the i2b employees.

Our experts take a lot of time to review your plan and offer constructive criticism. As an outsider, they not only evaluate the individual parts, but also “the big picture”. It is therefore not possible for our experts to check only partial areas of the plan.

If your business plan has gaps that are too large, the i2b team will formulate constructive answers to your business plan by e-mail, in which the missing parts are pointed out. You can save the time these mini-feedbacks take by making sure your concept is complete before you submit it for feedback.

How long does the feedback take?

Specialist feedback from our experts takes a certain amount of time. They provide this service on a voluntary basis, which is why they are not always available immediately. Therefore please allow approx five weeks (or more during holidays and pandemic times) for the time between submission and receipt of the two feedback reports. This period of time has no effect on the submission deadline. Feedback only needs to be requested before the submission deadline.

Who sees my business plan?

Business plans uploaded by you are first viewed by the i2b team and checked for completeness.

Complete business plans are forwarded to our experts, who can initially only view your executive summary (online plan) or the first 5 pages (PDF) of your business plan. After the experts have decided whether they are the right person for the task and have accepted your business plan, they will be given access to the full plan.

All experts working for i2b have signed a Confidentiality Agreement.

Your business plan will not be passed on to or discussed with third parties.

Competition

And why is there a competition?

At i2b you not only have the opportunity to have your written business concept checked by independent experts, but also the chance to get an award for it.

The i2b business plan competition was created specifically for this purpose.

The best business plans in Austria are chosen every year at a high-profile awards ceremony, where cash and non-cash prizes with a total value of over €200,000 are up for grabs!

You can find details about the competition here.

Who can enter the competition?

See our Conditions of Participation for the requirements for participation in the competition.

How do I submit my plan to the contest?

Registered, logged-in users can navigate to the “myi2b” area and select the menu item “Business plan”.

A new business plan can be created there.

Give your business plan a name, enter the company name, federal state and a brief description of your business idea, and then select the submission category and the industry in which you want to set up a business.

Finally, you can choose whether you want to write your business plan using our online assistant or whether you want to upload one that has already been written.

You will then get a confirmation email to let you know if everything went well!
Best of luck!

Do plans submitted to the competition also get feedback?

Yes!

Plans that are submitted directly to the competition also receive feedback from two specialists. However, business plans submitted directly to the competition cannot be revised or improved.

We therefore recommend submitting your plan for feedback first, and then submitting it to the competition after any corrections or additions have been made.

How often can I submit my plan for the competition?

A business plan can only be submitted for the competition once.

The score received is decisive for the ranking in the competition, whereby the lower the score, the higher your chances of being invited to the final/pitch.

If you do not make it to the final with your business plan in the current competition year, you can submit again in the next competition year, provided you comply with the Conditions of Participation.

Does the business plan have to be written in German?

No, business plans written in English are also permitted.