Fort Worth, TX April 22, 2013
Dylan Fox and
Zachary Herman’s online tool for small organizations that rewards donors with
coupons and discounts won out over 27 other socially conscious for-profit
business plans to earn first place and $15,000 in the Richards Barrentine
Values and Ventures™ Business Plan Competition, April 19-20, 2013, hosted by
the Neeley School of Business at TCU. (www.neeley.tcu.edu/vandv)
The George
Washington University (Washington, D.C.) team was one of 28 teams from around
the world competing in the third annual entrepreneurship competition for
undergraduate college students. The competition is different than other
business plan competitions because the for-profit startup presented must also
contribute social value in some way.
The GWU team of
Dylan and Zach impressed judges Friday and Saturday with their entrepreneurial concept
and presentation for Crowdvance (www.crowdvance.com), an online fundraising tool for
small organizations such as youth sports teams, student groups and small
nonprofits that rewards donors with discounts, coupons and other deals from
partner companies.
The brainchild of Dylan,
who wanted a better way to raise money for college clubs he belongs to, Crowdvance
is already up and running, helping clubs and organizations raise funds by
rewarding donors with exclusive deals and discounts.
“The winnings from
Values and Ventures will help us keep Crowdvance going and helping more
organizations,” Dylan said.
Zach said that the
Values and Ventures competition opened his eyes to many great socially
conscious entrepreneurship projects. “These are some of the most influential
and passionate students I’ve had the pleasure to meet. It’s so great knowing
there are kids out there like us, trying to make a difference in the world and
make it better.”
The team from
Christopher Newport University (Newport News, Va.) won second place and $10,000
for their plan for SoundSense, a home communications system for the hearing
impaired that provides visual or physical alerts to oven timers, doorbells,
baby monitors, phone calls and fire alarms through an integrated system. Andrew
McGregor thought up the idea to help his hearing impaired parents.
“The idea originated
in my home, and I brought it to these guys (Edward Pekalski and Ethan Emanuele)
because I knew they could help me make it happen,” Andrew said.
Third place and
$10,000 went to the team from TCU, Molly Johnson and
Brooke Bettis, for Sneez4, tissues in environmental packaging with a part
of proceeds allocated by the consumer to one of four causes: Alzheimer’s
Association, Wounded Warriors, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and
Feeding America.
“We are proud of
what we’ve accomplished and hope to make this a viable business in the near
future,” Molly said.
“This weekend proved to us that many others see viability
behind our idea, and that is really encouraging,” Brooke said.
Fourth place and
$1,000 went to Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Okla.) for Virtue
and Veneration, a paid service (initial offering free) to family and close
friends of American soldiers killed in action that places flowers on gravesites
and records virtual cemetery tours for those who live far from the cemetery.
Fifth place and $1,000 went to St. Mary’s University (San
Antonio, Texas) for One World Training, employing veterans to provide qualified
police training in Honduras to increase local police competency and deter
rising crime rates.
Sixth place and $1,000 went to Chapman University (Orange
Calif.) for SunChild Collective LLC, a curated online marketplace for trendy
fashions and goods created by artisans around the world, combined with a
mission to support artisans in their trade.
A special Founders
Award of $2,500 each went to University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland) for REVIVE,
a recycling company that gathers coffee grounds from the coffee/hospitality
industry to produce a 100% organic fertilizer; and The University of Tampa (Tampa,
Fla.) for Ambrosia Global, which franchises fully contained, sustainable
agricultural production systems (aquaponics) to food-insecure areas to provide
localized food production through a scalable system.
“As a world-class, values-centered university, this
competition is truly a sweet spot for TCU and the Neeley School, promoting
innovative entrepreneurial startups which add value and meaning in important
ways,” said O. Homer Erekson, John V. Roach Dean of the Neeley School of
Business at TCU.
Other teams taking
part were from Appalachian State University, Baylor University, Grand Valley
State University, J. J. Strossmayer University (Croatia), Monterrey Institute
of Technology (Mexico), Regis University, Royal Roads University (Canada),
Samford University, Southern Methodist University, Syracuse University,
University of Arkansas, University of Florida, University of Houston, University
of North Texas, University of Oklahoma, University of Virginia, University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater, Villanova University, Wake Forest University and Walsh
University.
Thirty judges
participated in the two-day competition. Judging the final competition were Elliott
Hill, president of Nike North America; Stacy Steimel, managing director and
head of Latin American equities for PineBridge Investments; Paul Spiegelman, chief
culture officer for Stericycle; Jan Norton, coach, author, speaker and angel
investor; and Chris Kraft, president, CEO and co-founder of Splash Media.
“Judging this entrepreneurship
competition is humbling and inspiring,” Hill, a TCU alumnus, said. “These
students, age 18 to 22, are very impressive, poised and competent.”
Steimel said that
she enjoyed seeing “these young people act out their passion for their plan, to
test how much they believe in their product and how viable it is as a business.
I also really like the values component to this competition, because it should
never just be all about profit.”