Results of the Fall 2009 Executive Summary Competition
Paul G. Silva
The UMass Amherst Entrepreneurship Initiative
Awards
Thousands in Seed Funding to Aspiring Entrepreneurs
November 17th 2009, Amherst, MA – Last night, the UMass Amherst
Entrepreneurship Initiative (UMass EI) awarded thousands of dollars in seed
capital to aspiring Student Entrepreneurs through its sixth
Executive Summary Competition
which is sponsored by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance
(NCIIA). The competition consisted of businesses ranging from High-tech
solutions for today’s problems to socially responsible business ideas.
This year’s top place was awarded to Undercover Lady Lover.
1st place honors, a prize of $1,500, went to
Undercover Lady Lover, and an additional People’s Choice Award of $500 was awarded. Undercover Lady Lover is a Women’s
Clothing line designed specifically with lesbian tastes in mind. The team consists of Erin Callahan
who is a senior at UMass Amherst studying Entertainment Marketing
and Small Business Management.
2nd place winnings went to New Roots who
received $500.
· New Roots is a non-profit organization that provides resources for elementary and middle schools to
establish and sustain student gardens on campus, while integrating the garden into school
curricula. Alexandra Whaley has run a student garden at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and taught the corresponding class for a year. She has also worked with Sustainable South Shore to sustain a student garden at a middle school.
3rd place winnings went to Lustig International Technologies (L.I.T.).
·
Lustig International Technologies (LIT) proposes
to distribute and install solar electric energy solutions that are currently
unavailable in Colombia.
·
Other
finalists included:
VMO Longboards – A
team focused on making quality custom long board skateboards.
Since
the first board was finished on June 8th 2009 VMO LongBoards has been designing
and hand crafting long boards used for transportation, recreation and eye
candy. VMO have made 14 one of a kind boards and sold 10 of them.
FIZIX! - A product development firm focused on addressing the needs of developing nations, specifically in the areas of medical devices and portable power supplies
Honorable Mentions were awarded to Dirty Brewing, UMass Bike Sharing Program, CoinVesting, Creative Companionship Initiative, Global Opportunities, Language Smash, One-Stop Realty, The CouponCard, and URecycle: A Social Enterprise.
The competition's judges were: DR Widder
(Principal at Milestone Strategies Group), Baer Tierkel (Sweet Mojo), Derek
Lyman (Co-Founder & CEO at Dexrex LLC), Joe Bohan (Founder of SciDose
LLC), Mike Giles (VisionStudio.com), Tom Kennedy (Former CFO of RSA Security).
About The UMass Amherst Entrepreneurship Initiative (www.umassei.org): The mission of the UMass Amherst Entrepreneurship Initiative (EI) is to help students turn ideas into businesses. The organization inspires students to explore the entrepreneurial career path, trains them in how to evaluate their ideas, and then connects them to the resources needed to take the first steps in starting their own business. Students participating in EI's program have opportunities to earn academic credit, win prize money, and connect with experienced mentors. The program is sponsored by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, and EI Alumni.
--
*****************************************************************
Paul G. Silva, Managing Partner
Angel Catalyst (www.angelcatalyst.com)
Excellence in Angel Investing ™
v: 413-667-9886
e: pa...@angelcatalyst.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgsilva
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AngelCatalyst
*****************************************************************