Five West Virginia University student teams will present business proposals to an audience and judges Saturday, April 9, for a $10,000 grand prize to put one winning plan into operation.
The five business plans involve: ecotourism-based Web services, devices to help authorities find missing children, thermo logic technologies for detecting and monitoring breast cancer, a plug-and-play document authentication system and handcrafted acoustic guitars.
In November, a panel of judges selected these finalist teams for the business plan competition from 29 student teams that had submitted their business concepts. During the spring semester, the teams developed full-blown business plans.
This year marks the third year of the student business plan competition conducted by the WVU Entrepreneurship Center housed in the College of Business and Economics.
* WHERE :* Eberly Auditorium, Room 15, ground floor, Life Sciences Building
* WHEN :* Saturday, April 9, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Award presentation at 2:30 p.m., with President David C. Hardesty Jr.
In addition to the cash prize, the winning team will receive significant start-up support that includes a year of office space at Grand Central Business Center sponsored by the Square at Falling Run, a year of legal services from Bowles Rice McDavid Graff and Love, and a year of accounting services from Toothman Rice.
The Entrepreneurship Center is under the leadership of Russell Sobel, associate professor of economics in the WVU College of Business and Economics. The business plan competition is part of three main areas of focus for the center: curriculum and educational programs, academic and applied research, and outreach and service programs.
Major funding for the Entrepreneurship Center and its programs is provided by Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, William M. Hinchey and Family, the Hardman Family, Hardman Supply Co. and Michael K.&Stephen J. Callen. Other business plan competition sponsors include: Branch Banking&Trust Co.; Core Concepts; Adena Ventures; and Michael D. Morris.
