Thursday, April 23, 2009

DUKE START-UP CHALLENGE SHOWCASES UNIQUE BUSINESS VENTURES

DUKE START-UP CHALLENGE SHOWCASES UNIQUE BUSINESS VENTURES

 

April 18, 2009 | DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke Start-Up Challenge was held at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business Saturday, April 18th. The Duke Start-up Challenge is a competition that encompasses all aspects of building a business, including assembling a management team, formulating a business plan, and developing core product technology.

 

More than $45,000 in cash and prizes were awarded in four categories this year: health care/life sciences; high tech; consumer products and services; and social enterprise. Overall open category winners were also selected, with the overall winner taking home $25,000.

 

Of the more than 55 teams that entered the competition, 12 finalist teams were selected to pitch their ideas to judges, present to the public at the Duke Start-Up Challenge Tradeshow, and deliver their 2-minute “elevator pitches” to an enthusiastic crowd at the awards ceremony. 

 

The winner of this year’s Duke Start-Up Challenge was EntoGenetics, a company that has developed a process to produce ‘spider silk’ in a scalable form.  Spider silk is an organic fabric which is light, incredibly elastic, and tougher than Kevlar.  EntoGenetics also won the Consumer Products and Services category.  The runner-up, and winner of $10,000, was Knoesis, which also won the Healthcare category. 

 

Other winners included Catchafire, winner for Social Enterprise; Wimzii, winner for High Tech; and Plato’s Republic, winner for Best Tradeshow Performance.

 

 

About the Duke Start-up Challenge

The Duke Start-Up Challenge (DSC) is a competition that lasts throughout the academic year which awards $25,000 to the winning team. The DSC provides a unique outlet for students to gain valuable experience in the world of entrepreneurship. Teams spend more than six months building business plans that include everything from marketing and finance, to product development and sales. The DSC taps into the strong venture capital and executive network within the Research Triangle region for expertise and judging. For more information, please visit http://www.dukestartupchallenge.org.

 

About EntoGenetics

EntoGenetics has solved a puzzle that has been at the center of fabric science for more than 20+ years, the ability to produce ‘spider silk’ in a scalable form.  Spider silk is an organic fabric which is light, incredibly elastic, and tougher than Kevlar.  EntoGenetics has discovered how to transfer the spider’s production gene into the common silk worm, creating the means for large scale, inexpensive spider silk production and creating multiple new market opportunities based on the application of this remarkable fiber.

 

About Knoesis

Knoesis seeks to develop bio-analytical hardware and reagents enabling cost-effective clinical diagnostics.  The vision of the company is to allow everyone affordable access to rapid and specific diagnostic healthcare knowledge.  Knoesis’ first application is an immunosensor for the detection of latent tuberculosis infection.

 

About Catchafire

Catchafire is a for-profit social venture that will bridge the divide between the social sector and the business sector, renew corporations with a purpose and a place in their communities, and ignite a movement of pro bono service to increase the power that nonprofits and social entrepreneurs have in serving our communities.

 

About Wimzii

Wimzii is an online search engine for apparel (think Google for clothes) which combines elements of search and social shopping to allow consumers to make the most informed product choices.

 

About Plato’s Republic

As parents become seriously concerned about childhood obesity and their child’s academic situation, Plato’s Republic provides a unique solution to these concerns—interactive physical fitness via exergaming (a new and innovative way to provide exercise using video games and electronics) coupled with academic support and enrichment.  Daily after school sessions include one hour of exergaming coupled with one hour of enrichment, as well as a nutritious snack and beverage.

 Below is the full set of video and audio files from the Duke Start-Up Challenge finals event.  Click on the link to start viewing the video/listening to the audio.

You can watch the entire event at: http://stream.fuqua.duke.edu/Content/Groups/CEI/2009/SUC/SUC20090418.qtl

Or you can watch individual videos below.

Entogenetics has solved a puzzle that has been at the center of fabric science for more than 20+ years, the ability to produce ‘spider silk’ in a scalable form.  Spider silk is an organic fabric which is light, incredibly elastic, and tougher than Kevlar.  Entogenetics has discovered how to transfer the spider’s production gene into the common silk worm, creating the means for large scale, inexpensive spider silk production and creating multiple new market opportunities based on the application of this remarkable fiber.

 

GrowthTree  is a self-development website. The mission of GrowthTree is to help individuals to create fulfilling lives, drawing on psychological frameworks of goal pursuit. Specifically, GrowthTree (1) helps users to identify goals in various domains of their lives, (2) helps identify concrete behaviors that are markers of movement towards goals, and (3) provides metrics for monitoring progress towards goals. GrowthTree achieves its objective through sophisticated features like automated reminders, smart phone applications and a community aspect to the website. GrowthTree – create a fulfilling life!

 

Trace-Aid is an educational toy designed to help children with Autism develop their fine-motor coordination skills through practicing handwriting.  The device is fully customizable by a parent or a teacher as to the figure or design to be traced by the student, and music plays during correct tracing activity providing positive reinforcement in a manner proven especially effective in children with Autism.  Ultimately, Trace-Aid will diversify to find its way into schools and homes of all children learning to write, as well as individuals looking to practice during drawing foreign characters.

 

Kaibo Investment Ltd. specializes in the design and construction of full-featured, environment-friendly expressway service areas (ESA) in China.  Our team has extensive experience in highway construction project planning and execution.

 

Smart Billiards is a consumer electronics product that helps pool players get better and have more fun at the same time.

 

Wimzii is an online search engine for apparel (think Google for clothes) which combines elements of search and social shopping to allow consumers to make the most informed products.

 

Catchafire is a for-profit social venture that will bridge the divide between the social sector and the business sector, renew corporations with a purpose and a place in their communities, and ignite a movement of pro bono service to increase the power that nonprofits and social entrepreneurs have in serving our communities.

 

Evolve is a comprehensive culinary job training program focused targeting transitionally homeless individuals in the Durham community and providing them with the necessary skills to thrive in the restaurant and food service industry.

 

Plato’s Republic—As parents become seriously concerned about childhood obesity and their child’s academic solution, Plato’s Republic provides a unique solution to these concerns—interactive physical fitness via exergaming (a new and innovative way to provide exercise using video games and electronics) coupled with academic support and enrichment.  Daily after school sessions include one hours of exergaming coupled with one hour of enrichment, as well as a nutritious snack and beverage.

 

Knoesis  seeks to develop bio-analytical hardware and reagents enabling cost-effective clinical diagnostics.  The vision of the company is to allow everyone affordable access to rapid and specific diagnostic healthcare knowledge.  Knoesis’ first application is an immunosensor for the detection of latent tuberculosis infection.

 

Mimetix Pharmaceuticals—Free Radical Scavengers developed from Duke’s BME Department for treating and preventing diseases from occurring.

 

Vaxaboost--Many diseases lack vaccines or have poor vaccines requiring multiple doses due to insufficient immune responses. VaxaBoost’s proprietary adjuvant platforms will enable the development of novel vaccines (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) as well as the improvement of existing vaccines (Anthrax).  VaxaBoost’s lead products are currently in pre-clinipartnerships cal development.  It seeks financing to ready its assets for licensing and/or with major pharmaceutical companies.
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