Fifteen wannabe entrepreneurs have been holed up in a south Wales hotel to compete for the right to be their own boss.

They are vying for business support from the Welsh Development Agency in a new television concept, The Biz, produced by BBC Wales.

Pitching their ideas for the ultimate new enterprise to a panel of judges, the contest resembles the popular Popstars formula.

Enterprise activity

6% of people involved in enterprise Wales 26th of 31 enterprising nations Few firms want more than 50 staff 'Business angel' activity just 0.2% 8.8% of men are entrepreneurs Source: GEM 2001 & UW Bangor

But instead of gunning for celebrity stardom, they are competing to enter the start-up limelight, with the agency's excellent network of business guidance.

Cameras will follow the winning entrepreneur's highs and lows as they look to build a successful enterprise from scratch.

Figures out this week showed Wales' entrepreneurial outlook is slowly improving but is still way behind that in the rest of the UK and around the world.

The Biz's aim is to give dreamers a shot in the arm, fuelling the imagination of potential company bosses and showing a wider audience the attraction of heading a company of one's own.

Who will be the Will Young of the start-up world?

Hundreds of budding bosses from across Wales put their ideas - from therapeutic adventure sailing to electronic telegrams - forward for selection during June and July.

But 15 winners of those regional heats have now entered a mystery rural retreat in south Wales.

There, they will battle it out over an intensive weekend designed to whittle the group down to a final cut of five.

During the make-or-break weekend, they will make their pitches to Welsh Development Agency bosses in a classic technique usually designed to woo potential investors.

Like Popstars judge Nigel Lythgoe, agency entrepreneurship officer Daniel Jones will have to be convinced of the hopefuls' potential if he is to offer a lucrative one-year deal.

"We saw lots of brilliant ideas, delivered with real conviction and with great business potential," he said.

"All who came along will be offered help and advice from our business support staff to ensure that the events have been beneficial to all.

"The 15 businesses selected to go through to the next stage all showed that little bit extra - the spark, drive and innovative qualities that they will need."

But it will be tougher than that. Just as the likes of Will Young and Gareth Gates nervously sang to their Pop Idol judges, The Biz contestant's must make 10-minute pitches to Jones and acclaimed furniture designer Angela Gidden.

They are tested for imagination, creativity, ingenuity, character, aptitude, financial skills and crisis management - skills essential if they are to be on song in a start-up.

Five winners will be announced on August 12. Their trials and tribulations will be documented by the BBC later in the year.