Student Entrepreneurial Heroes

LMU entrepreneurship students are required to create a business plan for a new venture. The best of these plans are entered into national competitions. Our students have been very successful in these competitions, often getting into the national finals on a competitive basis and earning a number of top level national awards.

 

2012 Winners


The Partie Poche Team: Graduate student Connor Pastoor and undergraduate student Jillian Jaccard

Stu Clark Investment Competition - Winnipeg, Canada
and
Global Venture Labs Investment Competition - University of Texas at Austin




2011 Winners


The Rod Rescuer Team: Graduate students Brandon Duquette, Allen Scott, Marc Hatfield and Annika Matas

Stu Clark Investment Competition - Winnipeg, Canada
and
Global Venture Labs Investment Competition - University of Texas at Austin
‌ 


2010 Winners


 The RFID Team: Graduate students Kelly Lui, Valerie Ruiz, Jason Hinckson and Travis Falstad

 

 

2009 Winners

Graduate Team: RhoBru
Coffee Grinding and Brewing Machine
Christopher Wilhem, Jason Spindler, Daniella Dorner, and Jason Hawk

Graduate Team: Stuart Clark Venture Challenge, University of Manitoba
and
University of Cincinnati: Spirit of Enterprise MBA Business Plan Competition



 

Undergraduate Team: Enabled Mobility
Highly Innovative Wheelchair
University of Evansville New Venture Creation Competition
Charles Lee, Ben Farrell, Sonia Battista, Nate Woods, Bryson Ishii,
Danny Kurtzman, and Michael Barber

 

2008 Winners



University of Cincinnati: Spirit of Enterprise MBA Business Plan Competition
First Place Trade Show Presentation

"Insight"
Motorcycle Safety Riding Gear
Dr. Fred Kiesner with team members:
Anan Hamden, Ari Magder,Karli Schneider, Antar Spearmon and Patrick Kronfli
Cincinnati, OH

 
Stuart Clark Venture Challenge
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

First Place Elevator Pitch Competition
Third Place in the Final Round of the Venture Challenge
"Insight"
Motorcycle Safety Riding Gear


 

2007 Winners

A Year to Remember! LMU at Moot Corp

 

 

For the first time in the 30 year history of the LMU Entrepreneurship Program, three bids were earned to the prestigious world business plan competition known as Moot Corp at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, May 5-7, 2007.

The ASI (Asthma Sound Indicator)
team earned two bids by their first place win in the University of Cincinnati “Spirit of Enterprise” competition and first place in the Stuart Clarke Venture Challenge held at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A third bid was garnered by the Advanced Wireless Solutions team, but they had to decline the honor due to starting their “BackUp Pal” enterprise.

 

35 teams from around the world competed. ASI received the award for
“The Best New Product,” won their challenge round and proudly earned 11 th place
overall in the competition.




University of Cincinnati "Spirit of Enterprise" MBA Business Plan Competition
Grand Champions
"Asthma Sound Indicator"
Dr. Fred Kiesner with team members: Ben Waddle, Allan Avelino, Dwight Yorke, and Tim Vermilion
Cincinnati, OH





"Spirit of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development"
Collegiate Entrepreneurship Venture Forum

Third Place
Ravash Ram
Santa Barbara, CA

Northwest Venture Championship
"Creating the future through enterprise"
Boise State University





Graduate
"Leash Lift"
Third Place
Janis Hebermehl, James Armistead, Sammy Petrelli and Bob Couture




Undergraduate
"pCards"
Fourth Place
Austin Kurtz, Brandon Sanders, Garett Awad, and Alicia Mikolaycik

Colorado State Venture Adventure
Colorado State University





"pCards"
Third Place

Austin Kurtz, Brandon Sanders, Garett Awad, and Alicia Mikolaycik


New Ventures World Competition & Nascent 500 Business Plan Challenge
University of Nebraska, Lincoln & Ball State University




"One Harvest Cafe"
Semi-Finalists

Daniel Bowen, Mary Simon, Erica Schneider, Christopher Michael

Venture Challenge 2007
San Diego State University

 

 

 

Second Place
Spartak Buniatyan and Ravash Ram





Venture Challenge 2007
"Show Stopper Award"

Ravash Ram and Spartak Buniatyan

 



Stuart Clark Venture Challenge
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
First Place
"Asthma Sound Indicator"

Dwight Yorke discusses the Asthma Sound Indicator. ASI Team Member Ben Waddle answers student questions at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, FL.


NCIIA Selects Asthma Sound Indicator Team
March Madness for the Mind E-Team Exhibition
March 23 — 24, 2007

Dwight Yorke, a graduate student in the Systems Engineering and Leadership Program (SELP) and Ben Waddle, a graduate student in the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program, were selected to represent LMU at the March Madness for the Mind E-Team Exhibition in Tampa Bay, Florida on March 22-24, 2007. This exhibition was part of the 11th annual National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) conference and was a chance for student inventors to showcase their products in front of a national audience as well as in the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa. Dwight and Ben are part of a four person Asthma Sound Indicator team (the other two team members who could not attend are Allan Avelino and Tim Vermilion) that was one of only 14 teams chosen nationally to attend this prestigious exhibition.

The Asthma Sound Indicator (ASI) is a handheld device that allows users to monitor and track their asthma in a more accurate way than devices currently on the market. Dwight Yorke thought of the idea and has been developing the software for the device over the past several years after witnessing his father die of an asthma attack. He proposed the idea as part of the New Product Design and Development course in Fall 2006 taught by Business School professor Dr. Fred Kiesner and Engineering School professor, Dorota Shortell. The aforementioned team was formed and the students developed a business plan and prototype for the product during the Fall semester 2006. In addition to the honor of presenting their product at the March Madness for the Mind Exhibition, the team has also has won first place in two national and international business plan competitions. They plan to use the cash prizes from the competitions to bring the ASI to market from their newly-formed business, Anson Innovations.

 

2006 Winners

 


Graduate Competition
"Octane"
Custom Automotive Promotion Shows Team members:
Ky Basuki, David Wurtzel, Alvin Yam

Finalists:
Boise State University
Boise, ID

University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada


 

2005 Winners

 

Undergraduate Competition - 2nd Round 
University of Nebraska
"Kintano.com"
Mark S. Kolich
Stuart D. Walker


 

2004 Winners

 
"GPS Locator"
Second Place
University of Nebraska

Paul Rawson
Danielle Lawlor
Jose Ramos


 

2001 Winners

"Agua Sombrero"
National Finalist Undergraduate Level
Larel Boland
Jeffrey Lindsey
Tracy Sharp
Kelly Ward


 

"Automobilia Visconti"
National Finalists
Graduate Level In 3 National Competitions:
University of Nebraska
San Diego State University
University of Oregon

Marcel Bates
Scott Covey
Ann Fuji
Jeffrey Levine



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




2000 Winners


"Photo.com"
Semi-Finalist
University of Oregon

David Bever

"American Volunteer Services"
Second Place
Undergraduate Level
University of Nebraska
Britta Bucholz
Michael Knickrehm
"American Volunteer Services"
National Finalist
Colorado State University
Britta Bucholz
Michael Knickrehm
"Loyola Pictures"
National Finalist
University of Nebraska
Graduate Level
Mary Crivello
Tony Fields
Katy Willis
"Plotfinder.com"
Most Creative Business Plan Award
Miami University of Ohio
Vincent Kostiw

1999 Winners

 

"VR Time Machine"
Fourth Place
University of Nebraska
Graduate Level
Mary Sulentor
Mike J. Moore
Rosanna Funicello
Flora Lee
"Mirror Media"
Second Place
Miami University of Ohio
Leon Jakimic
Chad Yussman




 

1998 Winners

 

"Ultimate Band List"
Top 10 National Finalist
Miami University of Ohio
"Most Outstanding Business Plan" Award
Ronette Sutherland Mike Mulry Brian Bollinger
"Wedding Extravaganza"
Top 6 National Finalist
University of Nebraska
Chad Yussman
Julie Dudek
"Telefinder"
Top 10 National Finalist
University of Oregon
Marcus Shimomi
Ken Demirjian

 

1997 Winners

"Hydrite"
Top 10 National Finalist
San Diego State University
Gene Croft
George Gerace
Brian Change
Amanda Wilemon

"Allegris"
Top 10 National Finalist
University of Nebraska
Michael Hotra
Douglas Lies


 

1996 Winners

"Lotsa Salsa"
Top 10 National Finalist
University of Oregon
Fred Friedler
Tarik Trad
Barbara Levine
Mark Gunther
Pearl Evidente