°µÍø±¬ÁÏapp

Four student venture teams from °µÍø±¬ÁÏapp’s entrepreneur class will present their start-up business plans to a panel of outside reviewers Thursday, Dec. 6, at 5:30 p.m. at Hieronymus Lounge in Kerrwood Hall. The 18th annual °µÍø±¬ÁÏapp Collegiate Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competition is free and open to the public. Networking and refreshments will begin at 5 p.m.

A panel of five experts will judge the competition: Eli Eisenberg, founder and CEO of StraightLine Management; Susan Block, investment banker with Block-Bowman & Associates; Barry Fay, president of Aquaflo; Brian Azouz, president of PFS Inc.; and Fritz Harnsberger, hedge fund manager of Marathon Investments.

The student venture teams endure a rigorous 16-week schedule and continuously hone their innovative ideas through tests of feasibility, viability and long-term sustainable profit potential. The result is an industry-standard business plan, a professional executive summary and a high-quality oral presentation with accompanying slides.

Students often get direct introductions to seed-capital investors and other professionals through the competition. The top two ventures are also entered into collegiate business plan events around the country. °µÍø±¬ÁÏapp boasts 13 ventures selected since 1990, with the fall 2002 venture team Solum Monitoring Systems taking first place in the 7th Midwest Enterprise Creation Competition in Indianapolis, co-sponsored by Indiana, Syracuse and Ball State Universities.

The competition is part of the Entrepreneurship and New Venture Development course at °µÍø±¬ÁÏapp, taught by David Newton, professor of entrepreneurial finance, who founded the college’s entrepreneurship program in 1990.

For more information, please call (805) 565-6156. For directions to °µÍø±¬ÁÏapp and a map of the campus, please visit www.westmont.edu.