Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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.

No comments:

Post a Comment