PULLMAN, Wash. The Washington State University College of Business has announced the winners of its 2008 Fall WSU Business Plan Competition. The fall competition, hosted by the WSU Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, was a virtual competition with teams submitting a two-minute video “sales pitch” of their idea electronically along with a one-page business plan summary.
Twenty-three entries were evaluated by a 34-member panel of judges that included members of the business community, entrepreneurs from successfully launched businesses, those who are currently participating in an innovative business, or professional investors such as bankers, venture capitalists, and angel investors. Judges based their evaluations on the quality of the idea, the quality of the communication of the idea (written and oral), the likelihood of success of the plan, and demonstrated knowledge of the entrepreneurial process.
Awards for the competition were as follows:
Best Overall
Team Name: Terraware
Description: Purified drinking water machine which will provide an alternative to drinking fountains and disposable water bottles
Members: Andy Whitaker, Electrical Engineering; Brian Boler, Electrical Engineering; Reid Schilperoort, Finance
Best Video
Team Name: Symptum Cycles
Description: Continuously Variable Transmission gearbox for bicycles
Members: Mitchell Angus, International Business; Vladimir Borisov, Bioengineering
Best Written Plan
Team Name: Equestree-N
Description: Customizable saddle tree for English riding saddles
Members: Afton Pickett, Bioengineering; Julianna Simon, Bioengineering; Jennifer Viens, Entrepreneurship; Whitney Peterson, Bioengineering
Best Green Idea
Team Name: EcoBuildNW
Description: Website that will bring practical information to consumers on how to improve the sustainability of their homes and reduce environmental impact
Members: Cameron Kent, Business
Best Non-Profit
Team Name: KabulKarts
Description: Universal attachment that connects carts to most motorcycles that are used in Afghanistan to transport goods. This would help to decrease dangerous overloading of motorcycles.
Members: Allison Bjerkestrand, Finance; Cameron Wheeler, Mechanical Engineering; Nic Tormohlen, Bioengineering
The fall competition is a precursor to the spring event, where teams will provide and present their full business plan at a two-day competition on April 17 and 18 in Pullman. The spring event also includes an open-league sponsored by the Port of Whitman, as well as a league devoted to high school students from around the state, so that others can present their business plans with the hope of winning seed money for their proposals.
The mission of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies is, through teaching, scholarly research, and outreach, to enable students, business leaders, managers of governmental agencies, scientists, policy makers, and others to better capitalize on their ideas, inventions, and innovations. The center is aimed not only at helping to assist new venture development but also preparing entrepreneurial leaders and improving commercialization within existing organizations. The center is ranked 18th among undergraduate entrepreneurship programs in the U.S. (Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review 2008). For more information about the WSU Business Plan Competition and the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, visit the center’s Web site at: https://www.business.wsu.edu/Entrepreneurship
The WSU College of Business is accredited at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The college spans the four campuses of WSU with the largest campus in Pullman and urban campuses located in Spokane, Vancouver, and the Tri-Cities area. The college conducts scholarly and applied research, and offers degree programs in a variety of business disciplines, and in hospitality business management, supplementing face-to-face offerings through innovative online learning and international programs. For more information, visit the college’s Web site at https://www.business.wsu.edu.
