College Entrepreneurs To Unveil Plans
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. 11, at 5:30 p.m. at Hieronymus Lounge in Kerrwood Hall. The 19th 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: Jim Andelman, general partner for Rincon Venture Partners; Eli Eisenberg, founder and CEO of StraightLine Management; Susan Block, investment banker with Block-Bowman & Associates; Barry Fay, president of Aquaflo; and Jason Spievak, founder and CEO of RingRevenue.
The student venture teams endure a rigorous 15-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 20 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.
Ten of the best undergraduate and MBA-level venture teams from around the country will present their start-up business plans at the sixth annual S.E.E.D. National Collegiate Venture Forum March 13 at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara.
For more information, please call (805) 565-6156. For directions to °µÍø±¬ÁÏapp and a map of the campus, please visit www.westmont.edu.