Friday, November 20, 2009
Entrepreneurship Week Day 5 Summary - The Duke Start-up Challenge 2009 Finals Competition
Welcome to the Finals Competition of the Duke Start-up Challenge!!
Friday night marked the premier event celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week at Duke University. The Start-up Challenge Elevator Pitch Competition was a week-long opportunity for students to pitch start-up company concepts to a panel of distinguished business leaders and a live audience.
The Finals Competition, hosted at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, was the climax of the week and offered the winners of each elevator pitch Track a chance to compete for the $1,000 Judge's Choice Award and the People's Choice Award of $250. The 7 elevator pitch Tracks and their respective winners who competed in the Final Competition were:
Undergraduate-led Startup Track:
People’s Choice Award: CarBone, Wasabi
Judge's Choice Award: Wasabi, Know It, Win It
Judge's Runner Up: ImmunoDispense Pro
Energy & Environment Track:
People’s Choice Award: Token Energy
Judge's Choice Award: Token Energy
Judge's Runner Up: CarBone
Healthcare & Life Sciences Track:
People’s Choice Award: Biogenic Medical Devices
Judge's Choice Award: Medici Medical Technologies
IT & Media Track:
People’s Choice Award: AdStream
Judge's Choice Award: National Field
Judge's Runner Up: DEVILHEEL
Women-led Startups Track:
People’s Choice Award: ImmunoDispense Pro
Judge's Choice Award: Optimal Surgical
Social Enterprises Track:
People’s Choice Award: StumpWorks
Judge's Choice Award: StumpWorks
Judge's Runner Up: The Produce Purity Project
Products & Services Track:
People’s Choice Award: 25th Hour Media
Judge's Choice Award: General Nano
For the Finals Competition, prizes were awarded for the best overall business concept and presentation. Judging the Finals Competition were:
Bill Maris - Co-founder of Google Ventures
Bill Maris is a Managing Partner of Google Ventures. Bill brings more than a decade of diverse operational, entrepreneurial and leadership experience to Google Ventures. Bill's past successes include founding Web hosting pioneer Burlee.com, which he subsequently sold to Interland, Inc., now known as Web.com. Prior to that, Bill was a portfolio manager for Stockholm, Sweden-based Investor AB, one of the world's largest industrial holding companies, where he co-managed the biotechnology and health care portfolios. Bill’s background also includes scientific research into cholinergic visual pathways, cell membrane patch clamping techniques and in-vivo neuronal cell injection at Duke University Medical Center, Department of Neurobiology. Bill is based in Mountain View, CA and received an A.B. with honors in Neuroscience from Middlebury College.
Catherine Massey’71 - Co-Founder of LawDocsXpress
Catherine E. Massey is the co-founder of LawDocsXpress. She has more than 15 years of experience as Owner & President of Legal Resources, Inc., a legal temporary and placement service based in Atlanta, Georgia, with clients all over the United States. In addition, she has more than 10 years experience in corporate management with emphasis in human resources. She has a BA from Duke University and an MS from Georgia State University.
Matt Megaro - Co-founder and CEO of Quill Medical
Matt Megaro: Matt has extensive experience in starting and developing biotechnology and medical devices ventures. Most recently, he was President and CEO of Quill Medical, Inc., a medical device company that he co-founded in 2000 in Research Triangle Park, NC. Quill was sold to Angiotech Pharmaceuticals in 2006 in a $200 million structured acquisition. Prior to Quill, he was President of Trimeris, Inc., a Durham, NC biotechnology company focused on treatments of infectious disease. At Trimeris, he led the Company’s business development and financing initiatives including private and public stock offerings and an IPO in 1997. Prior to Trimeris, he was Chief Financial Officer of Athena Neurosciences which developed treatments for neurological disorders. At Athena, he was responsible for various product licensing and acquisition programs and for financing initiatives including Athena’s IPO in 1991. He serves as a board member of several life science companies and is currently engaged as an entrepreneurship advisor to the US Embassy and Consulates in Italy. He received his B.S. in Finance from the University of California, Berkeley. Matt is also an Executive-in-Residence for the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
David Samuel - Co-Founder of Freestyle Capital
A serial entrepreneur and Internet pioneer, Dave has specialized in software & media since 1994. In early 2004, David served as President and co-founder of Grouper.com, a website specializing in Internet Video. The company raised $5 million in Angel & VC financing. In August 2006, Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired Grouper for $65 million. In late 2003, David co-founded Brondell, the first American-based company to develop high-tech toilet seats. David currently serves as Chairman of the Board. In early 1996, David, as CEO, founded Spinner.com, the first and largest Internet music service. In May 1999, AOL acquired the firm for $320 million. During Spinner's growth, David employed and managed 75 personnel at Spinner, and raised $15 million from Sony Music Entertainment, Intel, Amerindo, and several others. From May 1999 to June 2000, Mr. Samuel worked as Vice President of Technology for AOL. Prior to founding Spinner.com in early 1996, David worked at Oracle within the application development group. He graduated from MIT in 1994 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Opening the evening was special guest speaker and elevator pitch judge Bill Maris, Co-founder of Google Ventures. Thanks to the generous donation of time and expertise by all contributing judges and for a dedicated group of sponsors of the Duke Start-up Challenge.
Start-up Challenge Finals Contenders
Now in its 10th year, the Duke Start-up Challenge hosted a record 74 Teams and 130 pitches throughout a full week of entrepreneurial activity. Held at the Geneen Auditorium at the Fuqua School of Business, a packed-out crowd welcomed the first pitch by General Nano – developer of the world’s longest carbon nano-tubes. The first set of competing teams in the Finals Competition were:
General Nano - Spinning carbon nanotubes (stronger than steel and lighter than cotton) into electrically conductive thread for use in multiple industries. Andrew Simon at als71@duke.edu
Know It, Win It - The problem: math and science skills in the US. A solution: a website that will unconventionally reward students for educational success. Samiron Ray at sr52@duke.edu
AdStream - AdStream: introducing Symbiotic Advertising. Connecting advertisers with target markets through personalized desktop ads. Andrew Joiner at andrew.joiner@duke.edu
Stumpworks - The next-generation in video game technology. By measuring movements in muscle contractions, we have a more accurate, immersive gaming experience. Rish Sinha at rish.sinha@duke.edu
25th Hour Media - 25th Hour Media focuses on creating streaming audio, with a human voice, from blog and news text content that are delivered to mobile devices. Nick Sehn at nick.sehn@duke.edu
National Field - Online platform that helps organizations run more efficiently. Formed during the Obama campaign and currently used by political campaigns at all levels. Brendan Farmer at bpfarmer@gmail.com
CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics. David Benson at david.benson@duke.edu
Closing in on the Winning Pitch
At the Finals Competition, company representatives pitched ideas ranging from a class1 medical device designed to simplify cataract surgery to a sophisticated energy sensing system with commercial and residential applications. Additional company pitches included:
Optimal Surgical - Developing the CataCut©, a device to simplify cataract surgery. Cataracts are the number one cause of blindness in the world. Alaina Pleatman at arp14@duke.edu
ImmunoDispense Pro - The ImmunoDispense Pro is an in-home device which safely and accurately dispenses powders for oral immunotherapy to treat food allergies. Jamie Wilkie at jamie.f.wilkie@gmail.com
Token Energy - Developing real time building energy use displays which allow residents of dorms to see exactly how much energy the dorm is using. Andrew LeBlanc at Andrew.LeBlanc@duke.edu
Medici Medical Technologies - Medici MedTech is developing a medical device that treats urinary incontinence while giving its users convenience & control. Joseph Knight at joe.knight@duke.edu
Wasabi - Wasabi is the first restaurant franchise to serve fresh, high quality sushi using the have-it-your-way ordering system. Shaan Puri at shaan.puri@duke.edu
The Produce Purity Project - The PPP fights against foodborne illness in northern Afghanistan by resourcing and educating women in sanitary food preparation and hygiene. Stephanie Fruth at saf22@duke.edu
Biogenic Medical Devices - Utilizing Cell Seeding Technology to coat stents with a patient’s own cells, Biogenic Medical Devices reduces the risk of serious complications from stent failure. Garrett Muramoto at muram001@duke.edu
The Winners of the Duke Start-up Challenge Finals Competition
A full evening of start-up pitch finalists concluded with a thunderous round of audience applause and affirmation to all pitching teams from each of the judges.
Directly after the final elevator pitch by Biogenic Medical Devices, the judges were escorted to a private location to decide upon the recipient of the Judge's Choice Award and a cash prize of $1,000.
While the judges were away, audience members were invited to vote for the $250 People’s Choice Award using the Duke Start-up Challenge’s live text-message voting system. Each audience member was allowed to text their top choice start-up team to the Duke Start-up Challenge voting system which calculated a winner in real time.
When the judges returned and the votes were tabulated, the stage lights were raised, the music lowered and host Dan Weinstein announced the winners of the 2009 Duke Start-up Challenge Elevator Pitch Finals Competition.
The 2009 People’s Choice Award: The Produce Purity Project
The 2009 Judge's Choice Award: Biogenic Medical Devices
Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 Duke Start-up Challenge Elevator Pitch Finals Competition!! Special thanks to all of the sponsors, judges, contestants, and audience members who made the Duke Start-up Challenge and Entrepreneurship Week 2009 a great success.
The Winners of the Duke Start-up Challenge Finals Competition
A full evening of start-up pitch finalists concluded with a thunderous round of applause and affirmation to all pitching teams from each of the judges.
Directly after the final elevator pitch by Biogenic Medical Devices, the judges were escorted to a private location to decide upon the recipient of the Judges Choice Award and a cash prize of $1,000.
While the judges were away, audience members were invited to vote for the $250 People’s Choice Award using the Duke Start-up Challenge’s live text-message voting system. Each audience member was allowed to text their top choice start-up team to the Duke Start-up Challenge voting system which calculated a winner in real time.
When the judges returned and the votes were tabulated, the stage lights were raised, the music lowered and host Dan Weinstein announced the winners of the 2009 Duke Start-up Challenge elevator Pitch Finals Competition.
The 2009 People’s Choice Award: The Produce Purity Project
The 2009 Judges Choice Award: Biogenic Medical Devices
Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 Duke Start-up Challenge elevator Pitch Finals Competition!!
Special thanks to all of the judges, contestants, audience members and sponsors who made Duke Start-up Challenge and Entrepreneurship Week 2009 a great success.
Directly after the final elevator pitch by Biogenic Medical Devices, the judges were escorted to a private location to decide upon the recipient of the Judges Choice Award and a cash prize of $1,000.
While the judges were away, audience members were invited to vote for the $250 People’s Choice Award using the Duke Start-up Challenge’s live text-message voting system. Each audience member was allowed to text their top choice start-up team to the Duke Start-up Challenge voting system which calculated a winner in real time.
When the judges returned and the votes were tabulated, the stage lights were raised, the music lowered and host Dan Weinstein announced the winners of the 2009 Duke Start-up Challenge elevator Pitch Finals Competition.
The 2009 People’s Choice Award: The Produce Purity Project
The 2009 Judges Choice Award: Biogenic Medical Devices
Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 Duke Start-up Challenge elevator Pitch Finals Competition!!
Special thanks to all of the judges, contestants, audience members and sponsors who made Duke Start-up Challenge and Entrepreneurship Week 2009 a great success.
Closing in on the Winning Pitch
At the Finals Competition, company representatives pitched ideas ranging from a class1 medical device designed to simplify cataract surgery to a sophisticated energy sensing system with commercial and residential applications. Additional company pitches included:
Optimal Surgical - Developing the CataCut©, a device to simplify cataract surgery. Cataracts are the number one cause of blindness in the world. Alaina Pleatman at arp14@duke.edu
ImmunoDispense Pro - The ImmunoDispense Pro is an in-home device which safely and accurately dispenses powders for oral immunotherapy to treat food allergies. Jamie Wilkie at jamie.f.wilkie@gmail.com
Token Energy - Developing real time building energy use displays which allow residents of dorms to see exactly how much energy the dorm is using. Andrew LeBlanc at Andrew.LeBlanc@duke.edu
Medici Medical Technologies - Medici MedTech is developing a medical device that treats urinary incontinence while giving its users convenience & control. Joseph Knight at joe.knight@duke.edu
Wasabi - Wasabi is the first restaurant franchise to serve fresh, high quality sushi using the have-it-your-way ordering system. Shaan Puri at shaan.puri@duke.edu
The Produce Purity Project - The PPP fights against foodborne illness in northern Afghanistan by resourcing and educating women in sanitary food preparation and hygiene. Stephanie Fruth at saf22@duke.edu
Biogenic Medical Devices - Utilizing Cell Seeding Technology to coat stents with a patient’s own cells, Biogenic Medical Devices reduces the risk of serious complications from stent failure. Garrett Muramoto at muram001@duke.edu
Optimal Surgical - Developing the CataCut©, a device to simplify cataract surgery. Cataracts are the number one cause of blindness in the world. Alaina Pleatman at arp14@duke.edu
ImmunoDispense Pro - The ImmunoDispense Pro is an in-home device which safely and accurately dispenses powders for oral immunotherapy to treat food allergies. Jamie Wilkie at jamie.f.wilkie@gmail.com
Token Energy - Developing real time building energy use displays which allow residents of dorms to see exactly how much energy the dorm is using. Andrew LeBlanc at Andrew.LeBlanc@duke.edu
Medici Medical Technologies - Medici MedTech is developing a medical device that treats urinary incontinence while giving its users convenience & control. Joseph Knight at joe.knight@duke.edu
Wasabi - Wasabi is the first restaurant franchise to serve fresh, high quality sushi using the have-it-your-way ordering system. Shaan Puri at shaan.puri@duke.edu
The Produce Purity Project - The PPP fights against foodborne illness in northern Afghanistan by resourcing and educating women in sanitary food preparation and hygiene. Stephanie Fruth at saf22@duke.edu
Biogenic Medical Devices - Utilizing Cell Seeding Technology to coat stents with a patient’s own cells, Biogenic Medical Devices reduces the risk of serious complications from stent failure. Garrett Muramoto at muram001@duke.edu
Start-up Challenge Finals Contenders
Now in its 10th year, the Duke Start-up Challenge hosted a record 74 Teams and 130 pitches throughout a full week of entrepreneurial activity. Held at the Geneen Auditorium at the Fuqua School of Business, a packed-out crowd welcomed the first pitch by General Nano – developer of the world’s longest carbon nano-tubes. The first set of competing teams in the Finals Competition were:
General Nano - Spinning carbon nanotubes (stronger than steel and lighter than cotton) into electrically conductive thread for use in multiple industries. Andrew Simon at als71@duke.edu
Know It, Win It - The problem: math and science skills in the US. A solution: a website that will unconventionally reward students for educational success. Samiron Ray at sr52@duke.edu
AdStream - AdStream: introducing Symbiotic Advertising. Connecting advertisers with target markets through personalized desktop ads. Andrew Joiner at andrew.joiner@duke.edu
Stumpworks - The next-generation in video game technology. By measuring movements in muscle contractions, we have a more accurate, immersive gaming experience. Rish Sinha at rish.sinha@duke.edu
25th Hour Media - 25th Hour Media focuses on creating streaming audio, with a human voice, from blog and news text content that are delivered to mobile devices. Nick Sehn at nick.sehn@duke.edu
National Field - Online platform that helps organizations run more efficiently. Formed during the Obama campaign and currently used by political campaigns at all levels. Brendan Farmer at bpfarmer@gmail.com
CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics. David Benson at david.benson@duke.edu
General Nano - Spinning carbon nanotubes (stronger than steel and lighter than cotton) into electrically conductive thread for use in multiple industries. Andrew Simon at als71@duke.edu
Know It, Win It - The problem: math and science skills in the US. A solution: a website that will unconventionally reward students for educational success. Samiron Ray at sr52@duke.edu
AdStream - AdStream: introducing Symbiotic Advertising. Connecting advertisers with target markets through personalized desktop ads. Andrew Joiner at andrew.joiner@duke.edu
Stumpworks - The next-generation in video game technology. By measuring movements in muscle contractions, we have a more accurate, immersive gaming experience. Rish Sinha at rish.sinha@duke.edu
25th Hour Media - 25th Hour Media focuses on creating streaming audio, with a human voice, from blog and news text content that are delivered to mobile devices. Nick Sehn at nick.sehn@duke.edu
National Field - Online platform that helps organizations run more efficiently. Formed during the Obama campaign and currently used by political campaigns at all levels. Brendan Farmer at bpfarmer@gmail.com
CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics. David Benson at david.benson@duke.edu
Duke Start-up Challenge 2009 Finals Competition
Welcome to the Finals Competition of the Duke Start-up Challenge!!
Tonight marks the premier event celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week at Duke University. The Start-up Challenge is a week-long competition for students to pitch start-up company concepts to a panel of distinguished business leaders and a live audience.
The Finals Competition, hosted at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, is the climax of the week which offers the winners of each elevator pitch Track the opportunity to compete for a $1,000 grand prize and an Audience Choice prize of $250. The 7 Tracks which competed throughout the week and their respective winners which can compete in the Finals are:
Undergraduate-led Startup Track:
People’s Choice Award: CarBone, Wasabi
Judges Choice Award: Wasabi, Know It, Win It
Judges Runner Up: ImmunoDispense Pro
Energy & Environment Track:
People’s Choice Award: Token Energy
Judges Choice Award: Token Energy
Judges Runner Up: CarBone
Healthcare & Life Sciences Track:
People’s Choice Award: Biogenic Medical Devices
Judges Choice Award: Medici Medical Technologies
IT & Media Track:
People’s Choice Award: AdStream
Judges Choice Award: National Field
Judges Runner Up: DEVILHEEL
Women-led Startups Track:
People’s Choice Award: ImmunoDispense Pro
Judges Choice Award: Optimal Surgical
Social Enterprises Track:
People’s Choice Award: StumpWorks
Judges Choice Award: StumpWorks
Judges Runner Up: The Produce Purity Project
Products & Services Track:
People’s Choice Award: 25th Hour Media
Judges Choice Award: General Nano
For the Finals Competition, prizes are awarded for the best overall business concept and presentation. Judging the Finals Competition were:
Bill Maris - Co-founder of Google Ventures
Bill Maris is a Managing Partner of Google Ventures. Bill brings more than a decade of diverse operational, entrepreneurial and leadership experience to Google Ventures. Bill's past successes include founding Web hosting pioneer Burlee.com, which he subsequently sold to Interland, Inc., now known as Web.com. Prior to that, Bill was a portfolio manager for Stockholm, Sweden-based Investor AB, one of the world's largest industrial holding companies, where he co-managed the biotechnology and health care portfolios. Bill’s background also includes scientific research into cholinergic visual pathways, cell membrane patch clamping techniques and in-vivo neuronal cell injection at Duke University Medical Center, Department of Neurobiology. Bill is based in Mountain View, CA and received an A.B. with honors in Neuroscience from Middlebury College.
Catherine Massey’71 - Co-Founder of LawDocsXpress
Catherine E. Massey is the co-founder of LawDocsXpress. She has more than 15 years of experience as Owner & President of Legal Resources, Inc., a legal temporary and placement service based in Atlanta, Georgia, with clients all over the United States. In addition, she has more than 10 years experience in corporate management with emphasis in human resources. She has a BA from Duke University and an MS from Georgia State University.
Matt Megaro - Co-founder and CEO of Quill Medical
Matt Megaro: Matt has extensive experience in starting and developing biotechnology and medical devices ventures. Most recently, he was President and CEO of Quill Medical, Inc., a medical device company that he co-founded in 2000 in Research Triangle Park, NC. Quill was sold to Angiotech Pharmaceuticals in 2006 in a $200 million structured acquisition. Prior to Quill, he was President of Trimeris, Inc., a Durham, NC biotechnology company focused on treatments of infectious disease. At Trimeris, he led the Company’s business development and financing initiatives including private and public stock offerings and an IPO in 1997. Prior to Trimeris, he was Chief Financial Officer of Athena Neurosciences which developed treatments for neurological disorders. At Athena, he was responsible for various product licensing and acquisition programs and for financing initiatives including Athena’s IPO in 1991. He serves as a board member of several life science companies and is currently engaged as an entrepreneurship advisor to the US Embassy and Consulates in Italy. He received his B.S. in Finance from the University of California, Berkeley. Matt is also an Executive-in-Residence for the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
David Samuel - Co-Founder of Freestyle Capital
A serial entrepreneur and Internet pioneer, Dave has specialized in software & media since 1994. In early 2004, David served as President and co-founder of Grouper.com, a website specializing in Internet Video. The company raised $5 million in Angel & VC financing. In August 2006, Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired Grouper for $65 million. In late 2003, David co-founded Brondell, the first American-based company to develop high-tech toilet seats. David currently serves as Chairman of the Board. In early 1996, David, as CEO, founded Spinner.com, the first and largest Internet music service. In May 1999, AOL acquired the firm for $320 million. During Spinner's growth, David employed and managed 75 personnel at Spinner, and raised $15 million from Sony Music Entertainment, Intel, Amerindo, and several others. From May 1999 to June 2000, Mr. Samuel worked as Vice President of Technology for AOL. Prior to founding Spinner.com in early 1996, David worked at Oracle within the application development group. He graduated from MIT in 1994 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Opening the evening was special guest speaker and elevator pitch judge Bill Maris, Co-founder of Google Ventures. Thanks to the generous donation of time and expertise by all contributing judges and for a dedicated group of sponsors of the Duke Start-up Challenge.
Tonight marks the premier event celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week at Duke University. The Start-up Challenge is a week-long competition for students to pitch start-up company concepts to a panel of distinguished business leaders and a live audience.
The Finals Competition, hosted at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, is the climax of the week which offers the winners of each elevator pitch Track the opportunity to compete for a $1,000 grand prize and an Audience Choice prize of $250. The 7 Tracks which competed throughout the week and their respective winners which can compete in the Finals are:
Undergraduate-led Startup Track:
People’s Choice Award: CarBone, Wasabi
Judges Choice Award: Wasabi, Know It, Win It
Judges Runner Up: ImmunoDispense Pro
Energy & Environment Track:
People’s Choice Award: Token Energy
Judges Choice Award: Token Energy
Judges Runner Up: CarBone
Healthcare & Life Sciences Track:
People’s Choice Award: Biogenic Medical Devices
Judges Choice Award: Medici Medical Technologies
IT & Media Track:
People’s Choice Award: AdStream
Judges Choice Award: National Field
Judges Runner Up: DEVILHEEL
Women-led Startups Track:
People’s Choice Award: ImmunoDispense Pro
Judges Choice Award: Optimal Surgical
Social Enterprises Track:
People’s Choice Award: StumpWorks
Judges Choice Award: StumpWorks
Judges Runner Up: The Produce Purity Project
Products & Services Track:
People’s Choice Award: 25th Hour Media
Judges Choice Award: General Nano
For the Finals Competition, prizes are awarded for the best overall business concept and presentation. Judging the Finals Competition were:
Bill Maris - Co-founder of Google Ventures
Bill Maris is a Managing Partner of Google Ventures. Bill brings more than a decade of diverse operational, entrepreneurial and leadership experience to Google Ventures. Bill's past successes include founding Web hosting pioneer Burlee.com, which he subsequently sold to Interland, Inc., now known as Web.com. Prior to that, Bill was a portfolio manager for Stockholm, Sweden-based Investor AB, one of the world's largest industrial holding companies, where he co-managed the biotechnology and health care portfolios. Bill’s background also includes scientific research into cholinergic visual pathways, cell membrane patch clamping techniques and in-vivo neuronal cell injection at Duke University Medical Center, Department of Neurobiology. Bill is based in Mountain View, CA and received an A.B. with honors in Neuroscience from Middlebury College.
Catherine Massey’71 - Co-Founder of LawDocsXpress
Catherine E. Massey is the co-founder of LawDocsXpress. She has more than 15 years of experience as Owner & President of Legal Resources, Inc., a legal temporary and placement service based in Atlanta, Georgia, with clients all over the United States. In addition, she has more than 10 years experience in corporate management with emphasis in human resources. She has a BA from Duke University and an MS from Georgia State University.
Matt Megaro - Co-founder and CEO of Quill Medical
Matt Megaro: Matt has extensive experience in starting and developing biotechnology and medical devices ventures. Most recently, he was President and CEO of Quill Medical, Inc., a medical device company that he co-founded in 2000 in Research Triangle Park, NC. Quill was sold to Angiotech Pharmaceuticals in 2006 in a $200 million structured acquisition. Prior to Quill, he was President of Trimeris, Inc., a Durham, NC biotechnology company focused on treatments of infectious disease. At Trimeris, he led the Company’s business development and financing initiatives including private and public stock offerings and an IPO in 1997. Prior to Trimeris, he was Chief Financial Officer of Athena Neurosciences which developed treatments for neurological disorders. At Athena, he was responsible for various product licensing and acquisition programs and for financing initiatives including Athena’s IPO in 1991. He serves as a board member of several life science companies and is currently engaged as an entrepreneurship advisor to the US Embassy and Consulates in Italy. He received his B.S. in Finance from the University of California, Berkeley. Matt is also an Executive-in-Residence for the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
David Samuel - Co-Founder of Freestyle Capital
A serial entrepreneur and Internet pioneer, Dave has specialized in software & media since 1994. In early 2004, David served as President and co-founder of Grouper.com, a website specializing in Internet Video. The company raised $5 million in Angel & VC financing. In August 2006, Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired Grouper for $65 million. In late 2003, David co-founded Brondell, the first American-based company to develop high-tech toilet seats. David currently serves as Chairman of the Board. In early 1996, David, as CEO, founded Spinner.com, the first and largest Internet music service. In May 1999, AOL acquired the firm for $320 million. During Spinner's growth, David employed and managed 75 personnel at Spinner, and raised $15 million from Sony Music Entertainment, Intel, Amerindo, and several others. From May 1999 to June 2000, Mr. Samuel worked as Vice President of Technology for AOL. Prior to founding Spinner.com in early 1996, David worked at Oracle within the application development group. He graduated from MIT in 1994 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Opening the evening was special guest speaker and elevator pitch judge Bill Maris, Co-founder of Google Ventures. Thanks to the generous donation of time and expertise by all contributing judges and for a dedicated group of sponsors of the Duke Start-up Challenge.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Duke Start-up Challenge 2009 – Day 4 Products & Services Track Summary
Welcome to Day 4 of the Duke Start-up Challenge
Taking the spotlight on Thursday night’s continuation of the Duke Start-up Challenge were the Social Enterprises Track and the Products & Services Track. With only a matter of hours remaining before the start of the Finals competition, tonight’s Tracks competed for $250 in cash prizes and the right to compete for $1,000 in the Finals.
Hosting the evening held at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, were Duke MBA candidates Dan Weinstein and Jonathan Gibbs. For the Products & Services Track, 15 company start-ups pitched their company concepts to a panel of distinguished judges. Judges for tonight’s competition were:
Jay Mebane ‘90, ‘99 – Co-Founder and CFO of US Handbags.
In addition to serving as the co-founder and CFO of US Handbags, Jay has also co-founded or owned several other North Carolina companies including such names as Rapidata.net, Thundershirt.com, First Analytical Laboratories and Arcametrics. Jay graduated from Duke University in 1990 and the Fuqua School of Business in 1999. Prior to Fuqua, Jay practiced corporate finance law with Moore & Van Allen, PLLC in Charlotte, NC.
Michael Olander – President and CEO of Apple Gold Group.
Michael Olander is the president and owner of the Apple Gold Group, which he founded in 1979 after graduating from law school. The Apple Gold Group currently owns and operates a total of 80 restaurants in four states.
Peter Heffring – President of Futures, Inc.
Prior to joining Futures, Peter was the co-founder and CEO of Ceres Integrated Solutions, which quickly became a leading provider of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software and analytical services for clients such as Wal-Mart, JCPenney, Lowes Home Improvement, Wells Fargo, and Travelocity. Ceres was acquired by NCR for $90M in 2000. Prior to founding Ceres, Peter served in senior executive management at the IBM Corporation.
After an insightful introductory speech by Jay Mebane featuring his experience with founding and developing start-up companies, the Products & Services Track took flight with a persuasive first pitch by Intelligent Irrigation Solutions.
Products & Services Track Update
An innovative line-up of prospective company pitches filled the evening at the Fuqua School of Business. The live audience was treated to multiple hi-tech product pitches including a derivative of an MIT innovation called Micropower.
The Micropower system attempts to revolutionize contemporary battery technology by utilizing a miniature combustion engine which runs on ethanol. With just a few ounces of fuel, it has the capacity to run a typical netbook laptop for over a day. Additional competing companies included:
Intelligent Irrigation Solutions - Using advanced sensor technology and localized weather forecasts, IIS can optimize existing irrigation systems to reduce water use by 20-40%.
Dorm Room Cleaning Service - Does your room look like a tornado went through it? Never able to find anything after your room party last night? We'll set your room in order.
Wasabi - Wasabi is the first restaurant franchise to serve fresh, high quality sushi using the have-it-your-way ordering system. Rivals Subway and Chipotle's convenience and quality.
Micropower - Developed a microscale heat engine for use in portable power applications.
Kibbitz - Offers to help student groups find and get the resources they need to make innovation happen.
25th Hour Media - 25th Hour Media focuses on creating streaming audio, with a human voice, from blog and news text content which is delivered to mobile devices.
Start-up Concepts for the Products & Service Track
During the second half of the evening, the Products & Services Track continued to showcase exemplary business concepts from agricultural irrigation solutions, to a revolutionary fabrication of the world's longest carbon nano-tubes.
General Nano, a start-up affiliated with Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, has produced the world’s longest carbon nano-tubes which are stronger than steel, conduct electricity better than copper, and lighter than cotton. General Nano’s nano-tubes, which are 300 times stronger than steel, currently have applications with the US Air Force, the US Navy, Boeing, Northup Grumman, and other defense contractors. They are also developing an application of their nano-tubes to replace the copper wires in fighter jets resulting in an average weight savings of 5,000 lbs. Additional Products & Service Track contestants included:
Catch-a-Ride – A Duke car-pool system. Student drivers going off campus post vacant seats on our website, where other students can see and buy those spots.
Sound Syntax - A Language Maintenance Company that provides opportunities for people with strong foreign language skills to use their target language after being abroad.
Duke International Youth Challenge - We seek to satisfy Asian students’ desire for awards for college applications by hosting contests in Asian countries with participatory fees.
General Nano - Spinning carbon nanotubes (stronger than steel and lighter than cotton) into electrically conductive thread for use in multiple industries.
DukeBoxes - DukeBoxes is a summer storage company providing students the affordable, most convenient option for insured shipping and storage.
eFit Health Solutions - Web-based hub for all people to get highly personalized fitness and diet plans tailored to their goals, ability and motivation.
Entrepreneurship Week – Day 4 Wrap-up: Products & Services Track
A full evening of start-up pitches concluded with a round of affirmation from the judges to all pitches in the Products & Services Track. Directly after the final pitch by eFit Health Solutions, the judges retreated to an undisclosed location to decide the recipient of the Judges Choice Award. Simultaneously, the audience was invited to participate in the Duke Start-up Challenge’s live text-message voting system to determine a winner of the People's Choice Award.
The suspense finally broke once the judges returned and the winners of both categories were announced:
For participants in the Products & Services Track:
People’s Choice Award: 25th Hour Media
Judges Choice Award: General Nano
Congratulations to the winners of tonight’s Products & Services Track!!!
The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award will be eligible to compete tomorrow night at the Fuqua School of Business for the Duke Start-up Challenge Elevator Pitch Finals Competition. The competition will feature Bill Maris as a guest judge and keynote speaker from Google Ventures. This will be the capstone event for the week and is sure to be a memorable time for everyone.
Less than 24 hours left until the Finals competition at the Geneen Auditorium at Duke University! See you there!
Entrepreneurship Week – Day 4 Wrap-up: Products & Services Track
A full evening of start-up pitches concluded with a round of affirmation from the judges to all pitches in the Products & Services Track. Directly after the final pitch by eFit Health Solutions, the judges retreated to an undisclosed location to privately decide the recipient of the Judges Choice Award. Simultaneously, the audience was invited to participate in the Duke Start-up Challenge’s live text-message voting system.
Within minutes, votes were tabulated electronically to decide on the People’s Choice Award. Finally, after the judges returned, the winners of both categories were announced:
For participants in the Products & Services Track
People’s Choice Award: 25th Hour Media
Judges Choice Award: General Nano
Congratulations to the winners of tonight’s Products & Services Track!!! The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award will be eligible to compete tomorrow night at the Fuqua School of Business for the Duke Start-up Challenge Elevator Pitch Finals Competition. The competition will feature Bill Maris as a guest judge and keynote speaker from Google Ventures. This will be the capstone event for the week and is sure to be a memorable time for everyone.
Less than 24 hours left until the Finals competition at the Geneen Auditorium at Duke University! See you there!
Within minutes, votes were tabulated electronically to decide on the People’s Choice Award. Finally, after the judges returned, the winners of both categories were announced:
For participants in the Products & Services Track
People’s Choice Award: 25th Hour Media
Judges Choice Award: General Nano
Congratulations to the winners of tonight’s Products & Services Track!!! The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award will be eligible to compete tomorrow night at the Fuqua School of Business for the Duke Start-up Challenge Elevator Pitch Finals Competition. The competition will feature Bill Maris as a guest judge and keynote speaker from Google Ventures. This will be the capstone event for the week and is sure to be a memorable time for everyone.
Less than 24 hours left until the Finals competition at the Geneen Auditorium at Duke University! See you there!
Day 4 - A Summary of the Social Enterprises Track
Tonight we had another distinguished group of judges:
Bill Stevenson ‘96, Founder of The Elevator, Formerly Director of Social Investments at Lenovo
Al Huntoon, Founder and CEO, Catalyst Consulting Services
James Dillard, Executive Director, Nourish International
Keith Artin, COO, TROSA
Keith kicked off the night with heartfelt talk about the rewards and challenges of working for social enterprises. After Keith's talk we heard from:
Amy Tsai who pitched GraffLab - GraffLab channels the artistic abilities of LA’s at-risk youth by turning their work into marketable products.
Michael Adams who pitched Micro-Consulting for North Carolina - MCforNC's mission is to send out volunteer student consultants to other nonprofits and help them solve small but important technical problems.
Elad Gross who pitched Education Exchange Corps - Non-profit organization recruiting college students to serve as teacher’s assistants and interns with urban school districts.
Joseph McMahan who pitched Innovation Education International - IEI empowers students in the developing world with the tools and skills needed to identify, analyze, and solve needs in their communities.
Ankur Seth who pitched eKriti - "eKriti" is a for-profit social enterprise that provides a noble way of empowering people to make a living using their art and talent.
Alikiah Barclay who pitched Prevent Health Insurance - I am interested in addressing both rising healthcare cost and declining national health through a health insurance and gym company combination.
Avishek Panth who pitched Leadership Institute for Future Entrepreneurs - LIFE is a non-profit mentor-ship program that brings entrepreneurial training and financial literacy education to Durham High Schools.
Stephanie Fruth who pitched The Produce Purity Project - The PPP fights against foodborne illness in northern Afghanistan by resourcing and educating women in sanitary food preparation and hygiene.
Rish Sinha who pitched Stumpworks - The next-generation in video game technology. By measuring movements in muscle contractions, we have a more accurate, immersive gaming experience.
Romero-Wolf who pitched Suyana Remote Hotels - Suyana Remote Hotels develops boutique resorts in remote areas that serve as headquarters for exploration and local development projects. Martin
Taipu Lin who pitched Pulse Tech - To combine biochip, pulse record and symptom input, Pulse Tech give people the possibility to customize their own medical treatment.
The winners from the night were:
Judges Choice Award: StumpWorks
Audience Choice Award: StumpWorks
Judges Runner Up: The Produce Purity Project
A big thank you to all of the entrepreneurs, judges, audience members, and organizers for helping make this a wonderful event. We hope to see you at the finals event tomorrow, November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
Bill Stevenson ‘96, Founder of The Elevator, Formerly Director of Social Investments at Lenovo
Al Huntoon, Founder and CEO, Catalyst Consulting Services
James Dillard, Executive Director, Nourish International
Keith Artin, COO, TROSA
Keith kicked off the night with heartfelt talk about the rewards and challenges of working for social enterprises. After Keith's talk we heard from:
Amy Tsai who pitched GraffLab - GraffLab channels the artistic abilities of LA’s at-risk youth by turning their work into marketable products.
Michael Adams who pitched Micro-Consulting for North Carolina - MCforNC's mission is to send out volunteer student consultants to other nonprofits and help them solve small but important technical problems.
Elad Gross who pitched Education Exchange Corps - Non-profit organization recruiting college students to serve as teacher’s assistants and interns with urban school districts.
Joseph McMahan who pitched Innovation Education International - IEI empowers students in the developing world with the tools and skills needed to identify, analyze, and solve needs in their communities.
Ankur Seth who pitched eKriti - "eKriti" is a for-profit social enterprise that provides a noble way of empowering people to make a living using their art and talent.
Alikiah Barclay who pitched Prevent Health Insurance - I am interested in addressing both rising healthcare cost and declining national health through a health insurance and gym company combination.
Avishek Panth who pitched Leadership Institute for Future Entrepreneurs - LIFE is a non-profit mentor-ship program that brings entrepreneurial training and financial literacy education to Durham High Schools.
Stephanie Fruth who pitched The Produce Purity Project - The PPP fights against foodborne illness in northern Afghanistan by resourcing and educating women in sanitary food preparation and hygiene.
Rish Sinha who pitched Stumpworks - The next-generation in video game technology. By measuring movements in muscle contractions, we have a more accurate, immersive gaming experience.
Romero-Wolf who pitched Suyana Remote Hotels - Suyana Remote Hotels develops boutique resorts in remote areas that serve as headquarters for exploration and local development projects. Martin
Taipu Lin who pitched Pulse Tech - To combine biochip, pulse record and symptom input, Pulse Tech give people the possibility to customize their own medical treatment.
The winners from the night were:
Judges Choice Award: StumpWorks
Audience Choice Award: StumpWorks
Judges Runner Up: The Produce Purity Project
A big thank you to all of the entrepreneurs, judges, audience members, and organizers for helping make this a wonderful event. We hope to see you at the finals event tomorrow, November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
And the winners are...
After 11 well done pitches we have a winner in the Social Enterprises track:
Judges Choice Award: StumpWorks
Audience Choice Award: StumpWorks
Judges Runner Up: The Produce Purity Project
Stay tuned for a wrap up of the entire night.
Judges Choice Award: StumpWorks
Audience Choice Award: StumpWorks
Judges Runner Up: The Produce Purity Project
Stay tuned for a wrap up of the entire night.
Start-up Concepts for the Products & Service Track
During the second half of the evening, the Products & Service Track continued to showcase exemplary business concepts from agricultural irrigation solutions, to a revolutionary fabrication of the world's longest carbon nano-tubes.
General Nano, a start-up affiliated with Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, has produced the world’s longest carbon nano-tubes which are stronger than steel, better conductors of electricity than copper, and lighter than cotton. General Nano’s nano-tubes, which are 300 times stronger than steel, currently have applications with the US Air Force, the US Navy, Boeing, Northup Grumman, and other defense contractors. They are also developing an application of their nano-tubes to replace the copper wire in fighter jets resulting in an average weight savings of 5,000 lbs. Additional Products & Service Track contestants included:
Catch-a-Ride – A Duke car-pool system. Student drivers going off campus post vacant seats on our website, where other students can see and buy those spots.
Sound Syntax - A Language Maintenance Company that provides opportunities for people with strong foreign language skills to use their target language after being abroad.
Duke International Youth Challenge - We seek to satisfy Asian students’ desire for awards for college applications by hosting contests in Asian countries with participatory fees.
General Nano - Spinning carbon nanotubes (stronger than steel and lighter than cotton) into electrically conductive thread for use in multiple industries.
DukeBoxes - DukeBoxes is a summer storage company providing students the affordable, most convenient option for insured shipping and storage.
eFit Health Solutions - Web-based hub for all people to get highly personalized fitness and diet plans tailored to their goals, ability and motivation.
General Nano, a start-up affiliated with Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, has produced the world’s longest carbon nano-tubes which are stronger than steel, better conductors of electricity than copper, and lighter than cotton. General Nano’s nano-tubes, which are 300 times stronger than steel, currently have applications with the US Air Force, the US Navy, Boeing, Northup Grumman, and other defense contractors. They are also developing an application of their nano-tubes to replace the copper wire in fighter jets resulting in an average weight savings of 5,000 lbs. Additional Products & Service Track contestants included:
Catch-a-Ride – A Duke car-pool system. Student drivers going off campus post vacant seats on our website, where other students can see and buy those spots.
Sound Syntax - A Language Maintenance Company that provides opportunities for people with strong foreign language skills to use their target language after being abroad.
Duke International Youth Challenge - We seek to satisfy Asian students’ desire for awards for college applications by hosting contests in Asian countries with participatory fees.
General Nano - Spinning carbon nanotubes (stronger than steel and lighter than cotton) into electrically conductive thread for use in multiple industries.
DukeBoxes - DukeBoxes is a summer storage company providing students the affordable, most convenient option for insured shipping and storage.
eFit Health Solutions - Web-based hub for all people to get highly personalized fitness and diet plans tailored to their goals, ability and motivation.
Products & Services Track Update
An innovative line-up of prospective company pitches filled the evening at the Fuqua School of Business. The live audience was treated to multiple hi-tech product solution pitches including a derivative of an MIT innovation called MicroPower.
The MicroPower system offers to revolutionize contemporary battery technology by utilizing a miniature combustion engine which runs on ethanol. With just a few ounces of fuel, it has the capacity to run a typical netbook laptop for over a day. Additional competing companies included:
Intelligent Irrigation Solutions - Using advanced sensor technology and localized weather forecasts, IIS can optimize existing irrigation systems to reduce water use by 20-40%.
Dorm Room Cleaning Service - Does your room look like a tornado went through it? Never able to find anything after your room party last night? We'll set your room in order.
Wasabi - Wasabi is the first restaurant franchise to serve fresh, high quality sushi using the have-it-your-way ordering system. Rivals Subway and Chipotle's convenience and quality.
Micropower - Developed a microscale heat engine for use in portable power applications.
Kibbitz - Offers to help student groups find and get the resources they need to make innovation happen.
25th Hour Media - 25th Hour Media focuses on creating streaming audio, with a human voice, from blog and news text content which is delivered to mobile devices.
The MicroPower system offers to revolutionize contemporary battery technology by utilizing a miniature combustion engine which runs on ethanol. With just a few ounces of fuel, it has the capacity to run a typical netbook laptop for over a day. Additional competing companies included:
Intelligent Irrigation Solutions - Using advanced sensor technology and localized weather forecasts, IIS can optimize existing irrigation systems to reduce water use by 20-40%.
Dorm Room Cleaning Service - Does your room look like a tornado went through it? Never able to find anything after your room party last night? We'll set your room in order.
Wasabi - Wasabi is the first restaurant franchise to serve fresh, high quality sushi using the have-it-your-way ordering system. Rivals Subway and Chipotle's convenience and quality.
Micropower - Developed a microscale heat engine for use in portable power applications.
Kibbitz - Offers to help student groups find and get the resources they need to make innovation happen.
25th Hour Media - 25th Hour Media focuses on creating streaming audio, with a human voice, from blog and news text content which is delivered to mobile devices.
Day 4 - Social Enterprises Track
Tonight we have another distinguished group of judges:
Bill Stevenson ‘96, Founder of The Elevator, Formerly Director of Social Investments at Lenovo
Al Huntoon, Founder and CEO, Catalyst Consulting Services
James Dillard, Executive Director, Nourish International
Keith Artin, COO, TROSA
Keith kicked off the night with heartfelt talk about the rewards and challenges of working for social enterprises. Now its time to hear from Duke's social entrepreneurs...
Bill Stevenson ‘96, Founder of The Elevator, Formerly Director of Social Investments at Lenovo
Al Huntoon, Founder and CEO, Catalyst Consulting Services
James Dillard, Executive Director, Nourish International
Keith Artin, COO, TROSA
Keith kicked off the night with heartfelt talk about the rewards and challenges of working for social enterprises. Now its time to hear from Duke's social entrepreneurs...
Welcome to Day 4 of the Duke Start-up Challenge
Taking the spotlight on Thursday night’s continuation of the Duke Start-up Challenge were the Social Enterprises Track and the Products & Services Track. With only a matter of hours remaining before the start of the Finals competition, tonight’s Tracks competed for $250 in cash prizes and the right to compete for $1,000 in the Finals.
Hosting the evening held at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, were Duke MBA candidates Dan Weinstein and Jonathan Gibbs. For the Products & Service Track, 15 company start-ups pitched their company concepts to a guest panel of distinguished judges. Judges for tonight’s competition were:
Jay Mebane ‘90, ‘99 – Co-Founder and CFO of US Handbags.
In addition to serving as the co-founder and CFO of US Handbags, Jay has also co-founded or owned several other North Carolina companies including such names as Rapidata.net, Thundershirt.com, First Analytical Laboratories and Arcametrics. Jay graduated from Duke University in 1990 and the Fuqua School of Business in 1999. Prior to Fuqua, Jay practiced corporate finance law with Moore & Van Allen, PLLC in Charlotte, NC.
Michael Olander – President and CEO of Apple Gold Group.
Michael Olander is the president and owner of the Apple Gold Group, which he founded in 1979 after graduating from law school. The Apple Gold Group currently owns and operates a total of 80 restaurants in four states.
Peter Heffring – President of Futures, Inc.
Prior to joining Futures, Peter was the co-founder and CEO of Ceres Integrated Solutions, which quickly became a leading provider of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software and analytical services for clients such as Wal-Mart, JCPenney, Lowes Home Improvement, Wells Fargo, and Travelocity. Ceres was acquired by NCR for $90M in 2000. Prior to founding Ceres, Peter served as a senior executive management at the IBM Corporation.
After an insightful introductory speech by Jay Mebane featuring his experience growing and developing start-up companies, the Products & Services Track took flight with a persuasive first pitch by Intelligent Irrigation Solutions.
Hosting the evening held at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, were Duke MBA candidates Dan Weinstein and Jonathan Gibbs. For the Products & Service Track, 15 company start-ups pitched their company concepts to a guest panel of distinguished judges. Judges for tonight’s competition were:
Jay Mebane ‘90, ‘99 – Co-Founder and CFO of US Handbags.
In addition to serving as the co-founder and CFO of US Handbags, Jay has also co-founded or owned several other North Carolina companies including such names as Rapidata.net, Thundershirt.com, First Analytical Laboratories and Arcametrics. Jay graduated from Duke University in 1990 and the Fuqua School of Business in 1999. Prior to Fuqua, Jay practiced corporate finance law with Moore & Van Allen, PLLC in Charlotte, NC.
Michael Olander – President and CEO of Apple Gold Group.
Michael Olander is the president and owner of the Apple Gold Group, which he founded in 1979 after graduating from law school. The Apple Gold Group currently owns and operates a total of 80 restaurants in four states.
Peter Heffring – President of Futures, Inc.
Prior to joining Futures, Peter was the co-founder and CEO of Ceres Integrated Solutions, which quickly became a leading provider of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software and analytical services for clients such as Wal-Mart, JCPenney, Lowes Home Improvement, Wells Fargo, and Travelocity. Ceres was acquired by NCR for $90M in 2000. Prior to founding Ceres, Peter served as a senior executive management at the IBM Corporation.
After an insightful introductory speech by Jay Mebane featuring his experience growing and developing start-up companies, the Products & Services Track took flight with a persuasive first pitch by Intelligent Irrigation Solutions.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Duke Start-up Challenge Day 3: Women Entrepreneurs Track Summary
Welcome to Day 3 of the Duke Start-up Challenge!
Tonight marked the half-way point en-route to the finals of the Duke Start-up challenge! Hosted at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, the start-up challenge’s Elevator Pitch Competition continued with the IT and Media Track and a groundbreaking, 1st ever Women Entrepreneurs Track. Carolyn Nohejl hosted the Women Entrepreneurs Track overseeing a total of 17 prospective start-ups. Judging the Women Entrepreneurs Track was a distinguished panel of women business leaders:
Kimberly Jenkins ’76, Duke Board of Trustees
A graduate of Duke University (BS 1976, PhD 1980), Dr. Jenkins is the former President of the Internet Policy Institute, and also the Founder, Chairman, and President of Highway 1 - a nonprofit organization focused on federal government IT efficiencies.
Catherine Massey ’71, Co-Founder of LawDocsXpress
Co-founder of LawDocsXpress, Catherine E. Massey also has over 15 years of experience as Owner & President of Legal Resources, Inc., a legal temporary and placement service based in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, she has more than 10 years of experience in corporate management with emphasis in human resources. She has a BA from Duke University and an MS from Georgia State University.
Brooks Bell ’02, Founder and CEO of Brooks Bell Interactive
President of Brooks Bell Interactive, Brooks leads her team in developing effective communication strategies and creative solutions. She is a graduate of Duke University with a degree in Psychology. Prior to founding Brooks Bell Interactive in 2003, she co-founded web design and development firm, novelProjects, as an undergraduate at Duke. Brooks is a frequent speaker at colleges and conferences, and has published widely in regional business journals and trade publications.
After an encouraging introductory speech by Dr. Kimberly Jenkins featuring her early career involvement with Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, the Women Entrepreneurs Track competition began with a lively first pitch by a start-up called 21-Watt.
Women Entrepreneurs Track Update
A terrific line-up of women-led start-up pitches graced the live audience at the Fuqua School of Business. From a convenient restaurant ordering service to an innovative electric vehicle battery deployment system, pitches in this 1st ever track demonstrated a versatile array of business applications. Competing companies included:
RUBBERBANDITZ - RUBBERBANDITZ offers a convenient workout solution for all fitness levels. The proprietary system is composed of circular exercise bands and accessory units.
Food4U – An internet-powered application that has food order forms for the Merchants on Points restaurants. Use your food points or flex to order without the hassle of calling the restaurant.
Charge – Developing an electric vehicle battery swap infrastructure to enable vehicles in developing countries to operate where there is no access to clean, reliable wall-outlet power.
GraffLab - GraffLab channels the artistic abilities of LA’s at-risk youth by turning their work into marketable products.
Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at the touch of a button - without any installation!
The Pitching Continues at the 1st Ever Women Entrepreneurs Track
The Women Entrepreneurs Track showed no signs of slowing as the evening continued with a full slate of start-up pitches. Excellent representation among Duke University undergraduate and graduate students fueled the vivacity of the women-led pitch competition. Additional contestants included:
The Produce Purity Project - The PPP fights against foodborne illness in northern Afghanistan by resourcing and educating women in sanitary food preparation and hygiene.
Optimal Surgical - We are developing the CataCut©, a device which will simplify cataract surgery. Cataracts are the number one cause of blindness in the world.
GetThereGreen.org - GetThereGreen.org helps you find fuel efficient and eco-friendly ways to get you where you want to go, saving the environment and saving you money.
BioWires - BioWires™ is developing subdermal and wireless CROWN™ Series electroencephalograms (EEGs).
Entrepreneurship Week – Day 3 Wrap-up: Women Entrepreneurs Track
A full line-up of start-up pitches concluded with a hearty congratulations to all entrants by Carolyn Nohejl, the presiding host for the evening. Directly after the final pitch, the judges gathered privately to decide upon the recipient of the Judges Choice Award. Simultaneously, the audience was invited to participate in the Duke Start-up Challenge’s live text-message voting system. Within minutes, votes were tabulated electronically to decide on the People’s Choice Award.
Following impressive remarks from the judges pertaining to the overall strength of the entrepreneur’s pitches, the votes were tallied and the winners were announced:
For participants in the Women Entrepreneurs Track:
People’s Choice Award: ImmunoDispense Pro
Judges Choice Award: Optimal Surgical
A big congratulations to all contestants in the Women Entrepreneurs Track of the Duke Start-up Challenge!! In addition to demonstrating superb passion, presenters also exhibited an intricate knowledge of their start-up concept ideas. The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award will be allowed to compete at the finals competition on Friday at the Fuqua School of Business.
Only 1 day left until the Start-up Challenge finals event on Friday, November 20th, at the Fuqua School of Business. See you there!
Tonight marked the half-way point en-route to the finals of the Duke Start-up challenge! Hosted at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, the start-up challenge’s Elevator Pitch Competition continued with the IT and Media Track and a groundbreaking, 1st ever Women Entrepreneurs Track. Carolyn Nohejl hosted the Women Entrepreneurs Track overseeing a total of 17 prospective start-ups. Judging the Women Entrepreneurs Track was a distinguished panel of women business leaders:
Kimberly Jenkins ’76, Duke Board of Trustees
A graduate of Duke University (BS 1976, PhD 1980), Dr. Jenkins is the former President of the Internet Policy Institute, and also the Founder, Chairman, and President of Highway 1 - a nonprofit organization focused on federal government IT efficiencies.
Catherine Massey ’71, Co-Founder of LawDocsXpress
Co-founder of LawDocsXpress, Catherine E. Massey also has over 15 years of experience as Owner & President of Legal Resources, Inc., a legal temporary and placement service based in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, she has more than 10 years of experience in corporate management with emphasis in human resources. She has a BA from Duke University and an MS from Georgia State University.
Brooks Bell ’02, Founder and CEO of Brooks Bell Interactive
President of Brooks Bell Interactive, Brooks leads her team in developing effective communication strategies and creative solutions. She is a graduate of Duke University with a degree in Psychology. Prior to founding Brooks Bell Interactive in 2003, she co-founded web design and development firm, novelProjects, as an undergraduate at Duke. Brooks is a frequent speaker at colleges and conferences, and has published widely in regional business journals and trade publications.
After an encouraging introductory speech by Dr. Kimberly Jenkins featuring her early career involvement with Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, the Women Entrepreneurs Track competition began with a lively first pitch by a start-up called 21-Watt.
Women Entrepreneurs Track Update
A terrific line-up of women-led start-up pitches graced the live audience at the Fuqua School of Business. From a convenient restaurant ordering service to an innovative electric vehicle battery deployment system, pitches in this 1st ever track demonstrated a versatile array of business applications. Competing companies included:
RUBBERBANDITZ - RUBBERBANDITZ offers a convenient workout solution for all fitness levels. The proprietary system is composed of circular exercise bands and accessory units.
Food4U – An internet-powered application that has food order forms for the Merchants on Points restaurants. Use your food points or flex to order without the hassle of calling the restaurant.
Charge – Developing an electric vehicle battery swap infrastructure to enable vehicles in developing countries to operate where there is no access to clean, reliable wall-outlet power.
GraffLab - GraffLab channels the artistic abilities of LA’s at-risk youth by turning their work into marketable products.
Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at the touch of a button - without any installation!
The Pitching Continues at the 1st Ever Women Entrepreneurs Track
The Women Entrepreneurs Track showed no signs of slowing as the evening continued with a full slate of start-up pitches. Excellent representation among Duke University undergraduate and graduate students fueled the vivacity of the women-led pitch competition. Additional contestants included:
The Produce Purity Project - The PPP fights against foodborne illness in northern Afghanistan by resourcing and educating women in sanitary food preparation and hygiene.
Optimal Surgical - We are developing the CataCut©, a device which will simplify cataract surgery. Cataracts are the number one cause of blindness in the world.
GetThereGreen.org - GetThereGreen.org helps you find fuel efficient and eco-friendly ways to get you where you want to go, saving the environment and saving you money.
BioWires - BioWires™ is developing subdermal and wireless CROWN™ Series electroencephalograms (EEGs).
Entrepreneurship Week – Day 3 Wrap-up: Women Entrepreneurs Track
A full line-up of start-up pitches concluded with a hearty congratulations to all entrants by Carolyn Nohejl, the presiding host for the evening. Directly after the final pitch, the judges gathered privately to decide upon the recipient of the Judges Choice Award. Simultaneously, the audience was invited to participate in the Duke Start-up Challenge’s live text-message voting system. Within minutes, votes were tabulated electronically to decide on the People’s Choice Award.
Following impressive remarks from the judges pertaining to the overall strength of the entrepreneur’s pitches, the votes were tallied and the winners were announced:
For participants in the Women Entrepreneurs Track:
People’s Choice Award: ImmunoDispense Pro
Judges Choice Award: Optimal Surgical
A big congratulations to all contestants in the Women Entrepreneurs Track of the Duke Start-up Challenge!! In addition to demonstrating superb passion, presenters also exhibited an intricate knowledge of their start-up concept ideas. The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award will be allowed to compete at the finals competition on Friday at the Fuqua School of Business.
Only 1 day left until the Start-up Challenge finals event on Friday, November 20th, at the Fuqua School of Business. See you there!
Entrepreneurship Week – Day 3 Results: Women Entrepreneurs Track
A full line-up of start-up pitches concluded with a hearty congratulations to all entrants by Carolyn Nohejl, the presiding host for the evening. Directly after the final pitch, the judges gathered privately to decide upon the recipient of the Judges Choice Award. Simultaneously, the audience was invited to participate in the Duke Start-up Challenge’s live text-message voting system. Within minutes, votes were tabulated electronically to decide on the People’s Choice Award.
Following impressive remarks from the judges pertaining to the overall strength of the entrepreneur’s pitches, the votes were tallied and the winners were announced:
For participants in the Women Entrepreneurs Track:
People’s Choice Award: ImmunoDispense Pro
Judges Choice Award: Optimal Surgical
A big congratulations to all contestants in the Women Entrepreneurs Track of the Duke Start-up Challenge!! The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award will be allowed to compete at the finals competition on Friday at the Fuqua School of Business. In addition to demonstrating superb passion, presenters in also exhibited an intricate knowledge of their start-up concept ideas.
Only 1 day left until the Start-up Challenge finals event on Friday, November 20th, at the Fuqua School of Business. See you there!
Following impressive remarks from the judges pertaining to the overall strength of the entrepreneur’s pitches, the votes were tallied and the winners were announced:
For participants in the Women Entrepreneurs Track:
People’s Choice Award: ImmunoDispense Pro
Judges Choice Award: Optimal Surgical
A big congratulations to all contestants in the Women Entrepreneurs Track of the Duke Start-up Challenge!! The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award will be allowed to compete at the finals competition on Friday at the Fuqua School of Business. In addition to demonstrating superb passion, presenters in also exhibited an intricate knowledge of their start-up concept ideas.
Only 1 day left until the Start-up Challenge finals event on Friday, November 20th, at the Fuqua School of Business. See you there!
The Pitching Continues at the 1st Ever Women Entrepreneurs Track
The Women Entrepreneurs Track showed no signs of slowing as the evening continued with a full slate of start-up pitches. Excellent representation among Duke University undergraduate and graduate students fueled the vivacity of the women-led pitch competition. Additional contestants included:
The Produce Purity Project - The PPP fights against foodborne illness in northern Afghanistan by resourcing and educating women in sanitary food preparation and hygiene.
Optimal Surgical - We are developing the CataCut©, a device which will simplify cataract surgery. Cataracts are the number one cause of blindness in the world.
GetThereGreen.org - GetThereGreen.org helps you find fuel efficient and eco-friendly ways to get you where you want to go, saving the environment and saving you money.
BioWires - BioWires™ is developing subdermal and wireless CROWN™ Series electroencephalograms (EEGs).
The Produce Purity Project - The PPP fights against foodborne illness in northern Afghanistan by resourcing and educating women in sanitary food preparation and hygiene.
Optimal Surgical - We are developing the CataCut©, a device which will simplify cataract surgery. Cataracts are the number one cause of blindness in the world.
GetThereGreen.org - GetThereGreen.org helps you find fuel efficient and eco-friendly ways to get you where you want to go, saving the environment and saving you money.
BioWires - BioWires™ is developing subdermal and wireless CROWN™ Series electroencephalograms (EEGs).
Day 3 - A Summary of the IT & Media Track
The IT & Media event was a big success with 10 well executed pitches.
Our distinguished judges for the IT & Media track were:
David Samuel, Co-Founder of Freestyle Capital
Jesse Lipson '00, Founder and CEO of ShareFile
Joe Velk '85, Founder of Contender Capital
A brief rundown on the night:
After introductions, David Samuel gave a great talk he called, “Pitch to Prototype” where he talked about his experiences building companies. Specifically, he talked about founding Spinner.com, co-founding Grouper.com, and one of the recent investments he has made.
Following the intro we heard pitches from:
Eddie Oistacher who pitched QuietNest - Provides Active Noise Cancellation(ANC) products to reduce noise pollution in home and office environments while allowing free air movement.
Andrew First who pitched Power2Go - This is a novel and fun way to charge mobile devices using cutting-edge power generation technology. Any pitch that start with pushups
Riccardo Reati who pitched iCampus - e-learning on-line service targeting SMEs, non-profit and schools, providing them with a cheap and easy-to-use on-line platform for delivering training.
Brendan Farmer who pitched National Field - Online platform that helps organizations run more efficiently. Formed during the Obama campaign and currently used by political campaigns at all levels.
Anthony Sparks who pitched Yow Show - Slogan: At Yow Show, It's Yo Show, Fa Sho! Yow Show is a web site that allows users to profit through amateur videos they post on the site.
Kelly Waldman who pitched Food4U - A website that has food order forms for the Merchants on Points restaurants. Use your food points or flex to order without the hassle of calling the restaurant.
Yingyi Shen who pitched 21-Watt - 21-Watt focuses on providing a platform for undergraduate researchers in the United States to present their scientific works.
Ben Cohen and Dan Ramiro who pitched DEVILHEEL - DEVILHEEL is a news Web site focused on the two most nationally prominent college basketball programs in the country: Duke and UNC. Ben Cohen
Samiron Ray who pitched Know It, Win It - The problem: math and science skills in the US. A solution: a website that will unconventionally reward students for educational success.
Andrew Joiner and Brian who pitched AdStream - AdStream: introducing Symbiotic Advertising. Connecting advertisers with target markets through personalized desktop ads.
The winners from the night were:
Judges Choice Award: National Field
Audience Choice Award: AdStream
Judges Runner Up: DEVILHEEL
A big thank you to all of the entrepreneurs, judges, audience members, and organizers for helping make this a wonderful event. We hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
Our distinguished judges for the IT & Media track were:
David Samuel, Co-Founder of Freestyle Capital
Jesse Lipson '00, Founder and CEO of ShareFile
Joe Velk '85, Founder of Contender Capital
A brief rundown on the night:
After introductions, David Samuel gave a great talk he called, “Pitch to Prototype” where he talked about his experiences building companies. Specifically, he talked about founding Spinner.com, co-founding Grouper.com, and one of the recent investments he has made.
Following the intro we heard pitches from:
Eddie Oistacher who pitched QuietNest - Provides Active Noise Cancellation(ANC) products to reduce noise pollution in home and office environments while allowing free air movement.
Andrew First who pitched Power2Go - This is a novel and fun way to charge mobile devices using cutting-edge power generation technology. Any pitch that start with pushups
Riccardo Reati who pitched iCampus - e-learning on-line service targeting SMEs, non-profit and schools, providing them with a cheap and easy-to-use on-line platform for delivering training.
Brendan Farmer who pitched National Field - Online platform that helps organizations run more efficiently. Formed during the Obama campaign and currently used by political campaigns at all levels.
Anthony Sparks who pitched Yow Show - Slogan: At Yow Show, It's Yo Show, Fa Sho! Yow Show is a web site that allows users to profit through amateur videos they post on the site.
Kelly Waldman who pitched Food4U - A website that has food order forms for the Merchants on Points restaurants. Use your food points or flex to order without the hassle of calling the restaurant.
Yingyi Shen who pitched 21-Watt - 21-Watt focuses on providing a platform for undergraduate researchers in the United States to present their scientific works.
Ben Cohen and Dan Ramiro who pitched DEVILHEEL - DEVILHEEL is a news Web site focused on the two most nationally prominent college basketball programs in the country: Duke and UNC. Ben Cohen
Samiron Ray who pitched Know It, Win It - The problem: math and science skills in the US. A solution: a website that will unconventionally reward students for educational success.
Andrew Joiner and Brian who pitched AdStream - AdStream: introducing Symbiotic Advertising. Connecting advertisers with target markets through personalized desktop ads.
The winners from the night were:
Judges Choice Award: National Field
Audience Choice Award: AdStream
Judges Runner Up: DEVILHEEL
A big thank you to all of the entrepreneurs, judges, audience members, and organizers for helping make this a wonderful event. We hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
And the winners are...
After 10 well done pitches we have a winner in the IT & Media track:
Judges Choice Award: National Field
Audience Choice Award: AdStream
Judges Runner Up: DEVILHEEL
Stay tuned for a wrap up of the entire night.
Judges Choice Award: National Field
Audience Choice Award: AdStream
Judges Runner Up: DEVILHEEL
Stay tuned for a wrap up of the entire night.
Women Entrepreneurs Track Update
A terrific line-up of women-led start-up pitches graced the live audience at the Fuqua School of Business. From a convenient restaurant ordering service to an innovative electric vehicle battery deployment system, pitches in this 1st ever track demonstrated a versatile array of business applications. Competing companies included:
RUBBERBANDITZ - RUBBERBANDITZ offers a convenient workout solution for all fitness levels. The proprietary system is composed of circular exercise bands and accessory units.
Food4U – An internet-powered application that has food order forms for the Merchants on Points restaurants. Use your food points or flex to order without the hassle of calling the restaurant.
Charge – Developing an electric vehicle battery swap infrastructure to enable vehicles in developing countries to operate where there is no access to clean, reliable wall-outlet power.
GraffLab - GraffLab channels the artistic abilities of LA’s at-risk youth by turning their work into marketable products.
Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at the touch of a button - without any installation!
RUBBERBANDITZ - RUBBERBANDITZ offers a convenient workout solution for all fitness levels. The proprietary system is composed of circular exercise bands and accessory units.
Food4U – An internet-powered application that has food order forms for the Merchants on Points restaurants. Use your food points or flex to order without the hassle of calling the restaurant.
Charge – Developing an electric vehicle battery swap infrastructure to enable vehicles in developing countries to operate where there is no access to clean, reliable wall-outlet power.
GraffLab - GraffLab channels the artistic abilities of LA’s at-risk youth by turning their work into marketable products.
Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at the touch of a button - without any installation!
Welcome to Day 3 of the Duke Start-up Challenge
Tonight marked the half-way point en-route to the finals of the Duke Start-up challenge! Hosted at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, the start-up challenge’s Elevator Pitch Competition continued with the IT and Media Track and a groundbreaking, 1st ever Women Entrepreneurs Track. Carolyn Nohejl hosted the Women Entrepreneurs Track overseeing a total of 17 prospective start-ups. Judging the Women Entrepreneurs Track was a distinguished panel of women business leaders:
Kimberly Jenkins ’76, Duke Board of Trustees
A graduate of Duke University (BS 1976, PhD 1980), Dr. Jenkins is the former President of the Internet Policy Institute, and also the Founder, Chairman, and President of Highway 1 - a nonprofit organization focused on federal government IT efficiencies.
Catherine Massey ’71, Co-Founder of LawDocsXpress
Co-founder of LawDocsXpress, Catherine E. Massey also has over 15 years of experience as Owner & President of Legal Resources, Inc., a legal temporary and placement service based in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, she has more than 10 years of experience in corporate management with emphasis in human resources. She has a BA from Duke University and an MS from Georgia State University.
Brooks Bell ’02, Founder and CEO of Brooks Bell Interactive
President of Brooks Bell Interactive, Brooks leads her team in developing effective communication strategies and creative solutions. She is a graduate of Duke University with a degree in Psychology. Prior to founding Brooks Bell Interactive in 2003, she co-founded web design and development firm, novelProjects, as an undergraduate at Duke. Brooks is a frequent speaker at colleges and conferences, and has published widely in regional business journals and trade publications.
After an encouraging introductory speech by Dr. Kimberly Jenkins featuring her early career involvement with Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, the Women Entrepreneurs Track competition began with a lively first pitch by a start-up called 21-Watt.
Kimberly Jenkins ’76, Duke Board of Trustees
A graduate of Duke University (BS 1976, PhD 1980), Dr. Jenkins is the former President of the Internet Policy Institute, and also the Founder, Chairman, and President of Highway 1 - a nonprofit organization focused on federal government IT efficiencies.
Catherine Massey ’71, Co-Founder of LawDocsXpress
Co-founder of LawDocsXpress, Catherine E. Massey also has over 15 years of experience as Owner & President of Legal Resources, Inc., a legal temporary and placement service based in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, she has more than 10 years of experience in corporate management with emphasis in human resources. She has a BA from Duke University and an MS from Georgia State University.
Brooks Bell ’02, Founder and CEO of Brooks Bell Interactive
President of Brooks Bell Interactive, Brooks leads her team in developing effective communication strategies and creative solutions. She is a graduate of Duke University with a degree in Psychology. Prior to founding Brooks Bell Interactive in 2003, she co-founded web design and development firm, novelProjects, as an undergraduate at Duke. Brooks is a frequent speaker at colleges and conferences, and has published widely in regional business journals and trade publications.
After an encouraging introductory speech by Dr. Kimberly Jenkins featuring her early career involvement with Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, the Women Entrepreneurs Track competition began with a lively first pitch by a start-up called 21-Watt.
Day 3 – The IT & Media Track
Kicking off the night for the IT & Media track David Samuel gave a great talk he called, “Pitch to Prototype” where he talked about his experiences building companies. Specifically, he talked about founding Spinner.com, co-founding Grouper.com, and one of the recent investments he has made.
Our judges for the night are:
David Samuel, Co-Founder of Freestyle Capital
Jesse Lipson '00, Founder and CEO of ShareFile
Joe Velk '85, Founder of Contender Capital
Looking forward to another night of excellent pitches…
Our judges for the night are:
David Samuel, Co-Founder of Freestyle Capital
Jesse Lipson '00, Founder and CEO of ShareFile
Joe Velk '85, Founder of Contender Capital
Looking forward to another night of excellent pitches…
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Duke Start-up Challenge 2009 – Day 2 Healthcare & Life Sciences
Welcome to the Duke Start-up Challenge – Day 2
Tonight’s continuation of Entrepreneurship Week and the Duke Start-up Challenge concentrated on two independent tracks for aspiring entrepreneurs to compete for cash prizes and recognition. This evening featured the Energy & Environment Track, along with the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track. Competition for each track was held in the Schiciano Auditorium at Duke University’s Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences.
Day 2 of the Start-up Challenge featured 11 competing teams in the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track and 15 teams in the Energy & Environment Track.
Judges for the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track were:
Dr. Ralph Synderman ’67 – Chancellor Emeritus at Duke University and former President and CEO of the Duke University Health System.
Jonathan Gindes ’03 – CFO of Affinergy, Inc.
B. Jefferson Clark ’78 – Co-founder and General Partner, Aurora Funds
Judges for the Energy & Environment Track were:
Van Morris ’78 – CEO of US MicroGrid
Stacy Glass ’99 – President of CaraGreen
Jeff Keller – Representing General Electric’s External Technology Initiatives
The evening began with a lively introduction from Dr. Kwame Johnson followed by an opening address by Dr. Ralph Synderman. After his invigorating talk on innovation, competing start-up challenge teams took to the stage for a grand night of competition – entrepreneur style.
Healthcare & Life Sciences Track Competition Snapshot
Many cutting-edge and innovative company concepts were presented at the Healthcare & Life Sciences Track Competition. Company profiles pitched during this track of the Start-up Challenge include:
Medici Medical Technologies – Developing an innovative medical device implant to treat urinary incontinence.
Biogenic Medical Devices – Planning to utilize Cell Seeding Technologies to coat stents with a patient’s own cells, Biogenic Medical Devices aims to reduce the risk of serious complications from stent failure.
Prosodia - Developing a speech therapy device to assist users in improving prosodic elements of their speech, such as intonation, stress, and rhythm.
ImmunoDispense Pro - The ImmunoDispense Pro is an in-home device which safely and accurately dispenses powders to treat food allergies.
Healthcare & Life Sciences Track Update
Start-up challenge competitors pitched a wide range of business ideas and early stage companies. Competing teams were comprised of students within Duke University’s undergraduate, Master’s, and Ph.D programs. Competitors demonstrated great passion and determination to impress the judges and woo the live audience. Presenting to a packed auditorium, company concepts included:
SmartStance - SmartStance is a physical device that measures three facets of a person’s posture and alerts them when an improper posture is detected.
Centrosome - An interactive online media website designed to allow research scientists to take a hands on approach towards planning their experiments.
Eye Innovations - A device for Glaucoma patients that drains the buildup of fluid inside the eye by expelling it to the outside of the eye.
AuthentiForm - AuthentiForm plans to commercialize technology to reduce the risk of death from counterfeit drugs by utilizing a biological authenticating link between each unit dose and its origin.
Entrepreneurship Week – Day 2 Wrap-up: Healthcare & Life Sciences Track
Directly after the final student-led pitch, the judges were ushered into a private room to decide upon their choice for the Judges Choice Award. Simultaneously, the audience was invited to participate in the Duke Start-up Challenge’s live text-message voting system. Their votes were tabulated electronically to decide the Audience Choice Award.
Following impressive remarks from the judges pertaining to the overall strength of the entrepreneur’s pitches, the votes were tallied and the winners were announced:
For Participants in the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track:
People’s Choice Award: Biogenic Medical Devices
Judges Choice Award: Medici Medical Technologies
The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award will be allowed to compete at the finals competition on Friday, November 20th at the Fuqua School of Business.
Thanks to the efforts of the entrepreneurs, judges and audience members for a successful Healthcare & Life Sciences Track competition. Congratulations to all participants, and we hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at the Fuqua School of Business.
Entrepreneurship Week – Day 2 Wrap-up: Healthcare & Life Sciences Track
Directly after the final student-led pitch, the judges were ushered into a private room to decide upon their choice for the Judges Choice Award. Simultaneously, the audience was invited to participate in the Duke Start-up Challenge’s live text-message voting system. Their votes were tabulated electronically to decide the Audience Choice Award.
Following impressive remarks from the judges pertaining to the overall strength of the entrepreneur’s pitches, the votes were tallied and the winners were announced:
For Participants in the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track:
People’s Choice Award: Biogenic Medical Devices
Judges Choice Award: Medici Medical Technologies
The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award will be allowed to compete at the finals competition on Friday, November 20th at the Fuqua School of Business.
Thanks to the efforts of the entrepreneurs, judges and audience members for a successful Healthcare & Life Sciences Track competition. Congratulations to all participants, and we hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at the Fuqua School of Business.
Following impressive remarks from the judges pertaining to the overall strength of the entrepreneur’s pitches, the votes were tallied and the winners were announced:
For Participants in the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track:
People’s Choice Award: Biogenic Medical Devices
Judges Choice Award: Medici Medical Technologies
The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the Judges Choice Award will be allowed to compete at the finals competition on Friday, November 20th at the Fuqua School of Business.
Thanks to the efforts of the entrepreneurs, judges and audience members for a successful Healthcare & Life Sciences Track competition. Congratulations to all participants, and we hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at the Fuqua School of Business.
Day 2 - A Summary of the Energy & Environment Track
Tonight we had a distinguished panel of judges and a great group from Duke leading the event.
Our judges for the night were:
Van Morris ‘78, CEO of US Microgrid
Stacy Glass ‘99, President of CaraGreen
Jeff Keller, External Technology Initiatives at GE
Also front and center we had:
Track Lead and Timer - Nick Donowitz
Floor Manager - Joe McMahan
Presiding President - Steven Pal
After brief introductions, Van Morris gave a great talk on the Business Plan. Specifically, he passed on his advice that it's not about the plan itself but the thinking behind the plan that helps a startup succeed. Great firsthand advice from Van.
Tonight we heard from:
Gurpreet Singh Neeraj who pitched Urja Rural Energy Solutions - We propose solutions to energy needs of rural India by identifying alternative energy generation methods and promoting them among investors.
Mike Stanton who pitched PowerDown - We merge social networking and behavioral economics to create green communities that compete to conserve energy and donate to social causes.
Andrew LeBlanc who pitched Token Energy - We are developing real time building energy use displays, which allow residents of dorms to see exactly how much energy the dorm is using.
Shawn George pitched who Green Energy Team - Our technology utilizes solar energy to its fullest by providing point-of-use solar thermal energy for home heating and electricity.
Kapil Ramachandran who pitched SwitchEnergy - Building commercial refineries that will convert switchgrass, a carbon-sequestration energy crop, to ethanol, to provide clean power to cars and home generators.
Hudson Levy who pitched MethaneCap - Environmental degradation from hog waste is a major issue. We've developed a technology to capture methane gas generated from hog farms.
Remya Narayanaswami who pitched Charge - Battery swap infrastructure to enable small electric vehicles in developing countries.
Emily Sherman who pitched Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at the touch of a button. No installation needed.
Joshua Moore who pitched SolOrganic - SolOrganic designs and manufactures photovoltaic polymers for the production of energy-efficient and cost-effective solar cells.
Sarah Musser who pitched SolAir Share - SolAir Share is a solar "cooperative" that allows its members to enjoy solar electricity without the barriers in the residential solar market.
Tyler Cantarano who pitched Aurora Networks - Networks smart-outlets to a web-based, intelligent system to optimize energy-efficiency.
David Benson who pitched CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics.
Beibei Lu who pitched Magic Meter - Smarter than Smart Meter - Magic meter is a super intelligent smart met
The winners from the night were:
Judges Choice Award: Token Energy
Audience Choice Award: Token Energy
Judges Runner Up: CarBone
A big thank you to all of the entrepreneurs, judges, audience members, and organizers for helping make this a wonderful event. We hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
Our judges for the night were:
Van Morris ‘78, CEO of US Microgrid
Stacy Glass ‘99, President of CaraGreen
Jeff Keller, External Technology Initiatives at GE
Also front and center we had:
Track Lead and Timer - Nick Donowitz
Floor Manager - Joe McMahan
Presiding President - Steven Pal
After brief introductions, Van Morris gave a great talk on the Business Plan. Specifically, he passed on his advice that it's not about the plan itself but the thinking behind the plan that helps a startup succeed. Great firsthand advice from Van.
Tonight we heard from:
Gurpreet Singh Neeraj who pitched Urja Rural Energy Solutions - We propose solutions to energy needs of rural India by identifying alternative energy generation methods and promoting them among investors.
Mike Stanton who pitched PowerDown - We merge social networking and behavioral economics to create green communities that compete to conserve energy and donate to social causes.
Andrew LeBlanc who pitched Token Energy - We are developing real time building energy use displays, which allow residents of dorms to see exactly how much energy the dorm is using.
Shawn George pitched who Green Energy Team - Our technology utilizes solar energy to its fullest by providing point-of-use solar thermal energy for home heating and electricity.
Kapil Ramachandran who pitched SwitchEnergy - Building commercial refineries that will convert switchgrass, a carbon-sequestration energy crop, to ethanol, to provide clean power to cars and home generators.
Hudson Levy who pitched MethaneCap - Environmental degradation from hog waste is a major issue. We've developed a technology to capture methane gas generated from hog farms.
Remya Narayanaswami who pitched Charge - Battery swap infrastructure to enable small electric vehicles in developing countries.
Emily Sherman who pitched Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at the touch of a button. No installation needed.
Joshua Moore who pitched SolOrganic - SolOrganic designs and manufactures photovoltaic polymers for the production of energy-efficient and cost-effective solar cells.
Sarah Musser who pitched SolAir Share - SolAir Share is a solar "cooperative" that allows its members to enjoy solar electricity without the barriers in the residential solar market.
Tyler Cantarano who pitched Aurora Networks - Networks smart-outlets to a web-based, intelligent system to optimize energy-efficiency.
David Benson who pitched CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics.
Beibei Lu who pitched Magic Meter - Smarter than Smart Meter - Magic meter is a super intelligent smart met
The winners from the night were:
Judges Choice Award: Token Energy
Audience Choice Award: Token Energy
Judges Runner Up: CarBone
A big thank you to all of the entrepreneurs, judges, audience members, and organizers for helping make this a wonderful event. We hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
The winners for Energy & Environment Track are…
Judges Choice Award: Token Energy
Audience Choice Award: Token Energy
Judges Runner Up: CarBone
A big thank you to all of the entrepreneurs, judges, audience members, and organizers for helping make this a wonderful event. We hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
Audience Choice Award: Token Energy
Judges Runner Up: CarBone
A big thank you to all of the entrepreneurs, judges, audience members, and organizers for helping make this a wonderful event. We hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
The second half of the pitches from the Energy & Environment Track
Starting off the second half of the night, Remya Narayanaswami pitched Charge - Battery swap infrastructure to enable small electric vehicles in developing countries.
Emily Sherman pitched Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at the touch of a button. No installation needed.
Joshua Moore pitched SolOrganic - SolOrganic designs and manufactures photovoltaic polymers for the production of energy-efficient and cost-effective solar cells.
Sarah Musser pitched SolAir Share - SolAir Share is a solar "cooperative" that allows its members to enjoy solar electricity without the barriers in the residential solar market.
Tyler Cantarano pitched Aurora Networks - Networks smart-outlets to a web-based, intelligent system to optimize energy-efficiency.
David Benson pitched CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics.
Finishing up the night, Beibei Lu pitched Magic Meter - Smarter than Smart Meter - Magic meter is a super intelligent smart meter that can report individual appliance power usage to home owners in real time.
Emily Sherman pitched Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at the touch of a button. No installation needed.
Joshua Moore pitched SolOrganic - SolOrganic designs and manufactures photovoltaic polymers for the production of energy-efficient and cost-effective solar cells.
Sarah Musser pitched SolAir Share - SolAir Share is a solar "cooperative" that allows its members to enjoy solar electricity without the barriers in the residential solar market.
Tyler Cantarano pitched Aurora Networks - Networks smart-outlets to a web-based, intelligent system to optimize energy-efficiency.
David Benson pitched CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics.
Finishing up the night, Beibei Lu pitched Magic Meter - Smarter than Smart Meter - Magic meter is a super intelligent smart meter that can report individual appliance power usage to home owners in real time.
Healthcare & Life Sciences Track Update
Start-up challenge competitors pitched a wide range of business ideas and early stage companies. Competing teams were comprised of students within Duke University’s undergraduate, Master’s, and Ph.D programs. Competitors demonstrated great passion and determination to impress the judges and woo the live audience. Presenting to a packed auditorium, company concepts included:
SmartStance - SmartStance is a physical device that measures three facets of a person’s posture and alerts them when an improper posture is detected.
Centrosome - An interactive online media website designed to allow research scientists to take a hands on approach towards planning their experiments.
Eye Innovations - A device for Glaucoma patients that drains the buildup of fluid inside the eye by expelling it to the outside of the eye.
AuthentiForm - AuthentiForm plans to commercialize technology to reduce the risk of death from counterfeit drugs by utilizing a biological authenticating link between each unit dose and its origin.
SmartStance - SmartStance is a physical device that measures three facets of a person’s posture and alerts them when an improper posture is detected.
Centrosome - An interactive online media website designed to allow research scientists to take a hands on approach towards planning their experiments.
Eye Innovations - A device for Glaucoma patients that drains the buildup of fluid inside the eye by expelling it to the outside of the eye.
AuthentiForm - AuthentiForm plans to commercialize technology to reduce the risk of death from counterfeit drugs by utilizing a biological authenticating link between each unit dose and its origin.
Healthcare & Life Sciences Track Competition Snapshot
Many cutting-edge and innovative company concepts were presented at the Healthcare & Life Sciences Track Competition. Company profiles pitched during this track of the Start-up Challenge include:
Medici Medical Technologies – Developing an innovative medical device implant to treat urinary incontinence.
Biogenic Medical Devices – Planning to utilize Cell Seeding Technologies to coat stents with a patient’s own cells, Biogenic Medical Devices aims to reduce the risk of serious complications from stent failure.
Prosodia - Developing a speech therapy device to assist users in improving prosodic elements of their speech, such as intonation, stress, and rhythm.
ImmunoDispense Pro - The ImmunoDispense Pro is an in-home device which safely and accurately dispenses powders to treat food allergies.
Medici Medical Technologies – Developing an innovative medical device implant to treat urinary incontinence.
Biogenic Medical Devices – Planning to utilize Cell Seeding Technologies to coat stents with a patient’s own cells, Biogenic Medical Devices aims to reduce the risk of serious complications from stent failure.
Prosodia - Developing a speech therapy device to assist users in improving prosodic elements of their speech, such as intonation, stress, and rhythm.
ImmunoDispense Pro - The ImmunoDispense Pro is an in-home device which safely and accurately dispenses powders to treat food allergies.
An update on the first half of the night from the Energy & Environment Track
So far we have heard from some very promising teams who have all received insightful questions from the judges.
Up first, Gurpreet Singh Neeraj pitched Urja Rural Energy Solutions - We propose solutions to energy needs of rural India by identifying alternative energy generation methods and promoting them among investors.
Mike Stanton pitched PowerDown - We merge social networking and behavioral economics to create green communities that compete to conserve energy and donate to social causes.
Andrew LeBlanc pitched Token Energy - We are developing real time building energy use displays, which allow residents of dorms to see exactly how much energy the dorm is using.
Shawn George pitched Green Energy Team - Our technology utilizes solar energy to its fullest by providing point-of-use solar thermal energy for home heating and electricity.
Kapil Ramachandran pitched SwitchEnergy - Building commercial refineries that will convert switchgrass, a carbon-sequestration energy crop, to ethanol, to provide clean power to cars and home generators.
And finally, Hudson Levy pitched MethaneCap - Environmental degradation from hog waste is a major issue. We've developed a technology to capture methane gas generated from hog farms.
Time for a short 1 min break before the second half of the pitches.
Up first, Gurpreet Singh Neeraj pitched Urja Rural Energy Solutions - We propose solutions to energy needs of rural India by identifying alternative energy generation methods and promoting them among investors.
Mike Stanton pitched PowerDown - We merge social networking and behavioral economics to create green communities that compete to conserve energy and donate to social causes.
Andrew LeBlanc pitched Token Energy - We are developing real time building energy use displays, which allow residents of dorms to see exactly how much energy the dorm is using.
Shawn George pitched Green Energy Team - Our technology utilizes solar energy to its fullest by providing point-of-use solar thermal energy for home heating and electricity.
Kapil Ramachandran pitched SwitchEnergy - Building commercial refineries that will convert switchgrass, a carbon-sequestration energy crop, to ethanol, to provide clean power to cars and home generators.
And finally, Hudson Levy pitched MethaneCap - Environmental degradation from hog waste is a major issue. We've developed a technology to capture methane gas generated from hog farms.
Time for a short 1 min break before the second half of the pitches.
Day 2 - The Energy & Environment Track gets underway
Welcome to day two of the Elevator Pitch Competition. Tonight we have a distinguished panel of judges and a great group from Duke leading the event.
Our judges for the night are:
Van Morris ‘78, CEO of US Microgrid
Stacy Glass ‘99, President of CaraGreen
Jeff Keller, External Technology Initiatives at GE
Also front and center we have:
Track Lead and Timer - Nick Donowitz
Floor Manager - Joe McMahan
Presiding President - Steven Pal
After brief introductions, Van Morris gave a great talk on the Business Plan. Specifically, he passed on his advice that it's not about the plan itself but the thinking behind the plan that helps a startup succeed. Great firsthand advice from Van!
I'm looking forward to a good night of pitches…
Our judges for the night are:
Van Morris ‘78, CEO of US Microgrid
Stacy Glass ‘99, President of CaraGreen
Jeff Keller, External Technology Initiatives at GE
Also front and center we have:
Track Lead and Timer - Nick Donowitz
Floor Manager - Joe McMahan
Presiding President - Steven Pal
After brief introductions, Van Morris gave a great talk on the Business Plan. Specifically, he passed on his advice that it's not about the plan itself but the thinking behind the plan that helps a startup succeed. Great firsthand advice from Van!
I'm looking forward to a good night of pitches…
Welcome to Duke Start-up Challenge – Day 2
Tonight’s continuation of Entrepreneurship Week and the Duke Start-up Challenge concentrated on two independent tracks for aspiring entrepreneurs to compete for cash prizes and recognition. This evening featured the Energy & Environment Track, along with the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track. Competition for each track was held in the Schiciano Auditorium at Duke University’s Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences.
Day 2 of the Start-up Challenge featured 11 competing teams in the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track and 15 teams in the Energy & Environment Track.
Judges for the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track were:
Dr. Ralph Synderman ’67 – Chancellor Emeritus at Duke University and former President and CEO of the Duke University Health System.
Jonathan Gindes ’03 – CFO of Affinergy, Inc.
B. Jefferson Clark ’78 – Co-founder and General Partner, Aurora Funds
Judges for the Energy & Environment Track were:
Van Morris ’78 – CEO of US MicroGrid
Stacy Glass ’99 – President of CaraGreen
Jeff Keller – Representing General Electric’s External Technology Initiatives
The evening began with a lively introduction from Dr. Kwame Johnson followed by an opening address by Dr. Ralph Synderman. After his invigorating talk on innovation, competing start-up challenge teams took to the stage for a grand night of competition – entrepreneur style.
Day 2 of the Start-up Challenge featured 11 competing teams in the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track and 15 teams in the Energy & Environment Track.
Judges for the Healthcare and Life Sciences Track were:
Dr. Ralph Synderman ’67 – Chancellor Emeritus at Duke University and former President and CEO of the Duke University Health System.
Jonathan Gindes ’03 – CFO of Affinergy, Inc.
B. Jefferson Clark ’78 – Co-founder and General Partner, Aurora Funds
Judges for the Energy & Environment Track were:
Van Morris ’78 – CEO of US MicroGrid
Stacy Glass ’99 – President of CaraGreen
Jeff Keller – Representing General Electric’s External Technology Initiatives
The evening began with a lively introduction from Dr. Kwame Johnson followed by an opening address by Dr. Ralph Synderman. After his invigorating talk on innovation, competing start-up challenge teams took to the stage for a grand night of competition – entrepreneur style.
Credits for Undergraduate Track, Elevator Pitch Competition, Duke Start-Up Challenge
Credits for Undergraduate Track, Elevator Pitch Competition, Duke Start-Up Challenge
Elevator Pitch Competition Lead: Steven Pal
DSC Events Lead: Dan Weinstein
Eweek/DSC Advisor: Howie Rhee
EVCC Eweek lead: Stephanie Fruth
Track Leads/Timers: Vatsala Kabra and Justin Healy
Floor Managers: Dan Weinstein and Stephanie Fruth
Judging Team: Vignesh Loganthan, Tim Canavan
Ushers: Troy Ferrell, Mihir Tandon
Blog posts from Trevor Scott and Tim Canavan: http://www.entrepreneurshipatduke.blogspot.com/
Photos by Chase Olivieri and Howie Rhee: http://www.picasaweb.google.com/eshipatduke
Videos by Troy Ferrell and Mihir Tandon with Fuqua Multimedia post-processing
Alumni Engagement Team (Pre-show): Jozef Krakora, Alex Baranpuria, Yangyang Guo
DSC Co-Presidents: Steven Pal, Shalav Gupta, Vatsala Kabra
Marketing Team: Peter Brown, Nate Jaffee
Budget Team: Lalith Devulapalli
Team Development (Matchmaking tools): Johann Klemmack
And thanks to the entire Duke Start-Up Challenge Organizing Committee
Monday, November 16, 2009
Day 1 Wrap-up from the Undergraduate Track - both rooms
38 Undergraduate Teams registered to pitch (up from 17 last year).
Day 1 - Welcome to the Duke Start-Up Challenge
After a welcome and introduction from Duke students Vatsala Kabra and Stephanie Fruth, Duke Startup Challenge 2009 began with an opening address from Rich West, CEO of Advanced Liquid Logic. In Duke’s Von Canon Room C, a diverse crowd ofundergraduates, graduate students, seasoned entrepreneurs, and wannabees received Rich West’s stimulating introductory talk on the challenges of entrepreneurship.
Next, all eyes turned to the competitors for the first round of competition - the Undergraduate Track. The Undergraduate Track is classified as teams that are led by undergraduate students.
Judges for the evening include:
Rich West, CEO of Advanced Liquid Logic
Mike Rasmussen, CEO of Republic of Fun
Will Pearson, Co-founder and President of mental_floss magazine
Jon Fjeld, Executive Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Education, the Fuqua School of Business.
Live from Von Canon Room B we had a great group of students pitching in the Undergraduate Track of the Elevator PitchCompetition. Starting things off we had introductions from each of our judges. Will Pearson gave a great talk passing on some firsthand advice to the teams. Will cofounded mental_floss magazine, “Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix” with Mangesh Hattikudur while both were students at Duke. He talked about the importance of talking to everyone you possibly can about your business and about the path he took to establish his company. Thanks to Will for the great insights and practical advice.Next, all eyes turned to the competitors for the first round of competition - the Undergraduate Track. The Undergraduate Track is classified as teams that are led by undergraduate students.
Judges for the evening include:
Rich West, CEO of Advanced Liquid Logic
Mike Rasmussen, CEO of Republic of Fun
Will Pearson, Co-founder and President of mental_floss magazine
Jon Fjeld, Executive Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Education, the Fuqua School of Business.
Posted by Trevor Scott at 7:22pm
Startup Challenge Snapshot from Room C
Among the Undergraduate Track competitors, the first suite of presenters included prospective companies such as Centrosome, Synchronized Blinking, Power2Go, DateU and Wasabi.
The chain-store sushi concept idea, Wasabi, even rounded out their smooth-talking presentation by offering a plate of sushi tothe judges!
Posted by Trevor Scott at 7:57pm
An update from Von Canon Room B
A quick rundown on the events from room B so far…
Up first in Room B, Samiron Ray pitched his idea Know It, Win It - The problem: math and science skills in the US. A solution: a website that will unconventionally reward students for educational success. Samiron received some great questions from thejudges and was ready with answers.
David Benson pitched CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics. David discussed the potential of his innovation and how it will benefit from theclean energy economy.
Clifford Satell pitched eFit Health Solutions - Web-based hub for all (esp. non-gym users) to get highly personalized fitness/diet plans tailored to their goals, ability and motivation.
Tyler Cantarano pitched Aurora Networks - Networks smart-outlets to a web-based, intelligent system to optimize energy-efficiency.
Derrick Hang pitched DukeBoxes - DukeBoxes is a summer storage company providing students the affordable, most convenient option for insured shipping and storage. The judges polled the audience and there was a strong positive response from the other students in the room.
Benjamin Hamner pitched Wristband Controls - We use sEMG signals and accelerometer data from a bluetooth-enabled wristband to enable transradial amputees to type and provide novel methods of interactions.
Phil Cotter pitched Stumpworks - The next-generation in video game technology. By measuring movements in muscle contractions, we have a more accurate, immersive gaming experience.
Up first in Room B, Samiron Ray pitched his idea Know It, Win It - The problem: math and science skills in the US. A solution: a website that will unconventionally reward students for educational success. Samiron received some great questions from thejudges and was ready with answers.
David Benson pitched CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics. David discussed the potential of his innovation and how it will benefit from theclean energy economy.
Clifford Satell pitched eFit Health Solutions - Web-based hub for all (esp. non-gym users) to get highly personalized fitness/diet plans tailored to their goals, ability and motivation.
Tyler Cantarano pitched Aurora Networks - Networks smart-outlets to a web-based, intelligent system to optimize energy-efficiency.
Derrick Hang pitched DukeBoxes - DukeBoxes is a summer storage company providing students the affordable, most convenient option for insured shipping and storage. The judges polled the audience and there was a strong positive response from the other students in the room.
Benjamin Hamner pitched Wristband Controls - We use sEMG signals and accelerometer data from a bluetooth-enabled wristband to enable transradial amputees to type and provide novel methods of interactions.
Phil Cotter pitched Stumpworks - The next-generation in video game technology. By measuring movements in muscle contractions, we have a more accurate, immersive gaming experience.
Posted by Tim Canavan at 8:14pm
Elevator Pitch Prospective Company Profiles from Room C
Here are some of the great new venture ideas pitched in the second half of the evening.
SwitchEnergy – Plans to build commercial refineries that convert common switchgrass into ethanol.
National Field – An online platform that helps political organizations increase efficiency.
ImmunoDispense Pro – A proprietary new way to treat sufferers of peanut allergies via a measured-dose system for use at home.
Prosodia - Developing a speech therapy device to assist users in improving the prosodic elements of their speech, such as intonation, stress, and rhythm.
Education Exchange Corps – A non-profit organization designed to connect current college students with opportunities to serve as teacher’s assistants or interns in urban school districts.
Optimal Surgical – As cataracts are the number one cause of blindness worldwide, Optimal Surgical is developing theCataCut© surgical device designed to simplify eye surgeries.
SwitchEnergy – Plans to build commercial refineries that convert common switchgrass into ethanol.
National Field – An online platform that helps political organizations increase efficiency.
ImmunoDispense Pro – A proprietary new way to treat sufferers of peanut allergies via a measured-dose system for use at home.
Prosodia - Developing a speech therapy device to assist users in improving the prosodic elements of their speech, such as intonation, stress, and rhythm.
Education Exchange Corps – A non-profit organization designed to connect current college students with opportunities to serve as teacher’s assistants or interns in urban school districts.
Optimal Surgical – As cataracts are the number one cause of blindness worldwide, Optimal Surgical is developing theCataCut© surgical device designed to simplify eye surgeries.
Posted by Trevor Scott at 8:48pm
The second half of the night in Room B
The second group of elevator pitches from Room B proved to be just as great as the first. We heard from…
Woo Young Cheong who pitched Duke International Youth Challenge - We seek to satisfy Asian students’ desire for awards for college application by hosting contests in Asian countries with participatory fees.
We heard a great two person pitch from DEVILHEEL - DEVILHEEL is a news Web site focused on the two most nationally prominent college basketball programs in the country: Duke and UNC.
Avishek Panth pitched Leadership Institute for Future Entrepreneurs - LIFE is a non-profit mentor-ship program that brings entrepreneurial training and financial literacy education to Durham High Schools. I wish Avishek the best of luck and hope he is able to inspire future Duke Startup Challenge participants.
Emily Sherman pitched Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at thetouch of a button. No installation needed.
Callie Berkowitz pitched GetThereGreen.org - GetThereGreen.org helps you find fuel efficient and eco-friendly ways to get you where you want to go, saving the environment and saving you money.
Yingyi Shen pitched 21-Watt - 21-Watt focuses on providing a platform for undergraduate researchers in the United States to present their scientific works.
Xin Xu pitched Catch-a-Ride - Duke car-pool system. Student drivers going off campus post vacant seats on our website, where other students can see and buy those spots. Another audience poll
Kelly Waldman pitched Food4U - A website that has food order forms for the Merchants on Points restaurants. Use your food points or flex to order without the hassle of calling the restaurant.
Alex Zhang pitched VoraciTee - VoraciTee is a nonprofit corporation that strives to combine social activism and design through t-shirts. We provide a catalyst to raise awareness.
And finally, Cheney Tsai pitched kibbitz - Help student groups find and get the resources they need to make innovation happen.
And the winner is...
Woo Young Cheong who pitched Duke International Youth Challenge - We seek to satisfy Asian students’ desire for awards for college application by hosting contests in Asian countries with participatory fees.
We heard a great two person pitch from DEVILHEEL - DEVILHEEL is a news Web site focused on the two most nationally prominent college basketball programs in the country: Duke and UNC.
Avishek Panth pitched Leadership Institute for Future Entrepreneurs - LIFE is a non-profit mentor-ship program that brings entrepreneurial training and financial literacy education to Durham High Schools. I wish Avishek the best of luck and hope he is able to inspire future Duke Startup Challenge participants.
Emily Sherman pitched Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at thetouch of a button. No installation needed.
Callie Berkowitz pitched GetThereGreen.org - GetThereGreen.org helps you find fuel efficient and eco-friendly ways to get you where you want to go, saving the environment and saving you money.
Yingyi Shen pitched 21-Watt - 21-Watt focuses on providing a platform for undergraduate researchers in the United States to present their scientific works.
Xin Xu pitched Catch-a-Ride - Duke car-pool system. Student drivers going off campus post vacant seats on our website, where other students can see and buy those spots. Another audience poll
Kelly Waldman pitched Food4U - A website that has food order forms for the Merchants on Points restaurants. Use your food points or flex to order without the hassle of calling the restaurant.
Alex Zhang pitched VoraciTee - VoraciTee is a nonprofit corporation that strives to combine social activism and design through t-shirts. We provide a catalyst to raise awareness.
And finally, Cheney Tsai pitched kibbitz - Help student groups find and get the resources they need to make innovation happen.
And the winner is...
Posted by Tim Canavan 9:01pm
Entrepreneurship Week - Day 1 Wrap-up
After a terrific lineup of student elevator pitches, the audience was invited to vote via text-messaging for the Audience Choice Award, while the judges decided upon a Judges Choice Award.
Next, Howie Rhee from the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Fuqua School of Business delivered a brief overview of the Duke Entrepreneurship Education Series, the Program4Entrepreneurs, and the Duke Global Entrepreneurship Network.
Finally, the votes were tallied and the winners announced:
For participants in Von Canon Room B
Peoples Choice Award: CarBone
Judges Choice Award: Know It, Win It
Judges Runner Up: SmartLet
For participants in Von Canon Room C
Peoples Choice Award: Wasabi
Judges Choice Award: Wasabi
For participants in Von Canon Room C
Peoples Choice Award: Wasabi
Judges Choice Award: Wasabi
Judges Runner Up: ImmunoDispense Pro
Thanks to the efforts of the entrepreneurs, judges and audience for a successful start to an exciting week! Congratulations to all participants, and we hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
Thanks to the efforts of the entrepreneurs, judges and audience for a successful start to an exciting week! Congratulations to all participants, and we hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
Posted by Trevor Scott at 10:06pm
Credits for Undergraduate Track, Elevator Pitch Competition, Duke Start-Up Challenge
Elevator Pitch Competition Lead: Steven Pal
DSC Events Lead: Dan Weinstein
Eweek/DSC Advisor: Howie Rhee
EVCC Eweek lead: Stephanie Fruth
Track Leads/Timers: Vatsala Kabra and Justin Healy
Floor Managers: Dan Weinstein and Stephanie Fruth
Judging Team: Vignesh Loganthan, Tim Canavan
Ushers: Troy Ferrell, Mihir Tandon
Blog posts from Trevor Scott and Tim Canavan:http://www.entrepreneurshipatduke.blogspot.com/
Photos by Chase Olivieri and Howie Rhee:http://www.picasaweb.google.com/eshipatduke
Videos by Troy Ferrell and Mihir Tandon with Fuqua Multimedia post-processing
Alumni Engagement Team (Pre-show): Jozef Krakora, Alex Baranpuria, Yangyang Guo
DSC Co-Presidents: Steven Pal, Shalav Gupta, Vatsala Kabra
Marketing Team: Peter Brown, Nate Jaffee
Budget Team: Lalith Devulapalli
Team Development (Matchmaking tools): Johann Klemmack
And thanks to the entire Duke Start-Up Challenge Organizing Committee
Entrepreneurship Week – Day 1 Wrap-up
The conclusion of the final pitch marked the completion of a successful beginning to an action-packed week filled with entrepreneurial energy.
After a terrific lineup of student elevator pitches, the audience was invited to vote via text-messaging for the Audience Choice Award, while the judges decided upon a Judges Choice Award.
Next, Howie Rhee from the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Fuqua School of Business delivered a brief overview of the Duke Entrepreneurship Education Series, the Program4Entrepreneurs, and the Duke Global Entrepreneurship Network.
Finally, the votes were tallied and the winners announced:
For participants in Von Canon Room B
Peoples Choice Award: CarBone
Judges Choice Award: Know It, Win It
For participants in Von Canon Room C
Peoples Choice Award: Wasabi
Judges Choice Award: Wasabi
Judges Runner Up: ImmunoDispense Pro
Thanks to the efforts of the entrepreneurs, judges and audience for a successful start to an exciting week! Congratulations to all participants, and we hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
After a terrific lineup of student elevator pitches, the audience was invited to vote via text-messaging for the Audience Choice Award, while the judges decided upon a Judges Choice Award.
Next, Howie Rhee from the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Fuqua School of Business delivered a brief overview of the Duke Entrepreneurship Education Series, the Program4Entrepreneurs, and the Duke Global Entrepreneurship Network.
Finally, the votes were tallied and the winners announced:
For participants in Von Canon Room B
Peoples Choice Award: CarBone
Judges Choice Award: Know It, Win It
For participants in Von Canon Room C
Peoples Choice Award: Wasabi
Judges Choice Award: Wasabi
Judges Runner Up: ImmunoDispense Pro
Thanks to the efforts of the entrepreneurs, judges and audience for a successful start to an exciting week! Congratulations to all participants, and we hope to see you at the finals event on November 20th, from 5:30pm – 9:00pm at Fuqua in the Geneen Auditorium.
The second half of the night in Room B
The second group of elevator pitches from Room B proved to be just as great as the first. We heard from…
Woo Young Cheong who pitched Duke International Youth Challenge - We seek to satisfy Asian students’ desire for awards for college application by hosting contests in Asian countries with participatory fees.
We heard a great two person pitch from DEVILHEEL - DEVILHEEL is a news Web site focused on the two most nationally prominent college basketball programs in the country: Duke and UNC.
Avishek Panth pitched Leadership Institute for Future Entrepreneurs - LIFE is a non-profit mentor-ship program that brings entrepreneurial training and financial literacy education to Durham High Schools. I wish Avishek the best of luck and hope he is able to inspire future Duke Startup Challenge participants.
Emily Sherman pitched Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at the touch of a button. No installation needed.
Callie Berkowitz pitched GetThereGreen.org - GetThereGreen.org helps you find fuel efficient and eco-friendly ways to get you where you want to go, saving the environment and saving you money.
Yingyi Shen pitched 21-Watt - 21-Watt focuses on providing a platform for undergraduate researchers in the United States to present their scientific works.
Xin Xu pitched Catch-a-Ride - Duke car-pool system. Student drivers going off campus post vacant seats on our website, where other students can see and buy those spots. Another audience poll
Kelly Waldman pitched Food4U - A website that has food order forms for the Merchants on Points restaurants. Use your food points or flex to order without the hassle of calling the restaurant.
Alex Zhang pitched VoraciTee - VoraciTee is a nonprofit corporation that strives to combine social activism and design through t-shirts. We provide a catalyst to raise awareness.
And finally, Cheney Tsai pitched kibbitz - Help student groups find and get the resources they need to make innovation happen.
And the winner is...
Woo Young Cheong who pitched Duke International Youth Challenge - We seek to satisfy Asian students’ desire for awards for college application by hosting contests in Asian countries with participatory fees.
We heard a great two person pitch from DEVILHEEL - DEVILHEEL is a news Web site focused on the two most nationally prominent college basketball programs in the country: Duke and UNC.
Avishek Panth pitched Leadership Institute for Future Entrepreneurs - LIFE is a non-profit mentor-ship program that brings entrepreneurial training and financial literacy education to Durham High Schools. I wish Avishek the best of luck and hope he is able to inspire future Duke Startup Challenge participants.
Emily Sherman pitched Smartlet - Smartlet is a cost- and energy-saving system that reduces your phantom energy waste at the touch of a button. No installation needed.
Callie Berkowitz pitched GetThereGreen.org - GetThereGreen.org helps you find fuel efficient and eco-friendly ways to get you where you want to go, saving the environment and saving you money.
Yingyi Shen pitched 21-Watt - 21-Watt focuses on providing a platform for undergraduate researchers in the United States to present their scientific works.
Xin Xu pitched Catch-a-Ride - Duke car-pool system. Student drivers going off campus post vacant seats on our website, where other students can see and buy those spots. Another audience poll
Kelly Waldman pitched Food4U - A website that has food order forms for the Merchants on Points restaurants. Use your food points or flex to order without the hassle of calling the restaurant.
Alex Zhang pitched VoraciTee - VoraciTee is a nonprofit corporation that strives to combine social activism and design through t-shirts. We provide a catalyst to raise awareness.
And finally, Cheney Tsai pitched kibbitz - Help student groups find and get the resources they need to make innovation happen.
And the winner is...
Elevator Pitch Prospective Company Profiles
Here are some of the great new venture ideas pitched in the second half of the evening.
SwitchEnergy – Plans to build commercial refineries that convert common switchgrass into ethanol.
National Field – An online platform that helps political organizations increase efficiency.
ImmunoDispense Pro – A proprietary new way to treat sufferers of peanut allergies via a measured-dose system for use at home.
Prosodia - Developing a speech therapy device to assist users in improving the prosodic elements of their speech, such as intonation, stress, and rhythm.
Education Exchange Corps – A non-profit organization designed to connect current college students with opportunities to serve as teacher’s assistants or interns in urban school districts.
Optimal Surgical – As cataracts are the number one cause of blindness worldwide, Optimal Surgical is developing the CataCut© surgical device designed to simplify eye surgeries.
SwitchEnergy – Plans to build commercial refineries that convert common switchgrass into ethanol.
National Field – An online platform that helps political organizations increase efficiency.
ImmunoDispense Pro – A proprietary new way to treat sufferers of peanut allergies via a measured-dose system for use at home.
Prosodia - Developing a speech therapy device to assist users in improving the prosodic elements of their speech, such as intonation, stress, and rhythm.
Education Exchange Corps – A non-profit organization designed to connect current college students with opportunities to serve as teacher’s assistants or interns in urban school districts.
Optimal Surgical – As cataracts are the number one cause of blindness worldwide, Optimal Surgical is developing the CataCut© surgical device designed to simplify eye surgeries.
An update from Von Canon Room B
A quick rundown on the events from room B so far…
Up first in Room B, Samiron Ray pitched his idea Know It, Win It - The problem: math and science skills in the US. A solution: a website that will unconventionally reward students for educational success. Samiron received some great questions from the judges and was ready with answers.
David Benson pitched CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics. David discussed the potential of his innovation and how it will benefit from the clean energy economy.
Clifford Satell pitched eFit Health Solutions - Web-based hub for all (esp. non-gym users) to get highly personalized fitness/diet plans tailored to their goals, ability and motivation.
Tyler Cantarano pitched Aurora Networks - Networks smart-outlets to a web-based, intelligent system to optimize energy-efficiency.
Derrick Hang pitched DukeBoxes - DukeBoxes is a summer storage company providing students the affordable, most convenient option for insured shipping and storage. The judges polled the audience and there was a strong positive response from the other students in the room.
Benjamin Hamner pitched Wristband Controls - We use sEMG signals and accelerometer data from a bluetooth-enabled wristband to enable transradial amputees to type and provide novel methods of interactions.
Phil Cotter pitched Stumpworks - The next-generation in video game technology. By measuring movements in muscle contractions, we have a more accurate, immersive gaming experience.
Up first in Room B, Samiron Ray pitched his idea Know It, Win It - The problem: math and science skills in the US. A solution: a website that will unconventionally reward students for educational success. Samiron received some great questions from the judges and was ready with answers.
David Benson pitched CarBone - Our innovative process recycles waste bone, converting it into porous carbon electrodes for use in oxygen batteries and modern electronics. David discussed the potential of his innovation and how it will benefit from the clean energy economy.
Clifford Satell pitched eFit Health Solutions - Web-based hub for all (esp. non-gym users) to get highly personalized fitness/diet plans tailored to their goals, ability and motivation.
Tyler Cantarano pitched Aurora Networks - Networks smart-outlets to a web-based, intelligent system to optimize energy-efficiency.
Derrick Hang pitched DukeBoxes - DukeBoxes is a summer storage company providing students the affordable, most convenient option for insured shipping and storage. The judges polled the audience and there was a strong positive response from the other students in the room.
Benjamin Hamner pitched Wristband Controls - We use sEMG signals and accelerometer data from a bluetooth-enabled wristband to enable transradial amputees to type and provide novel methods of interactions.
Phil Cotter pitched Stumpworks - The next-generation in video game technology. By measuring movements in muscle contractions, we have a more accurate, immersive gaming experience.
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