Friday, April 16, 2010
Event Summary: the 2010 Duke Start-up Challenge Grand Finale!
Welcome to the Duke Start-up Challenge Grand Finale Event!
This is the event everyone’s been waiting for. Tonight, the winners of the 2010 Duke Start-up Challenge will be crowned and the $25,000 grand prize will be awarded. The evening begins with a keynote address from legendary Duke entrepreneur, Aaron Patzer, founder and CEO of Mint.com. After an inspiring round of elevator pitches led by Duke student entrepreneurs, the evening will crescendo into a time for the audience to select their choice for a cash prize winner and the results of the $25,000 grand prize will be announced.
Tonight marks the conclusion of months of preparation by aspiring entrepreneurs across Duke’s campus. Completing live on stage at the Fuqua School of Business, 13 of the best start-up company teams will each deliver their one-minute elevator pitch presentations with hopes of winning the grand prize.
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 7:44 PM 0 COMMENTS
The Grand Finale Event Begins
As the evening opens, the Duke Start-up Challenge celebrates its 11th year of operation with an address by Aaron Patzer, a Duke alum and founder and CEO of Mint.com. Introduced by the evening’s host - second year MBA student Shalav Gupta - Aaron recently completed the sale of his company for $170 Million through an acquisition by financial software giant, Intuit.
Meet Aaron Patzer:
Duke University alum Aaron Patzer (T’02), started his professional career during the Internet boom years of 1998-2000 when he worked for Getawebsite.com and Miadora.com (an online jewelry store). After a number of engineering positions and internet startups, Patzer founded Mint.com in March 2006. Mint.com is a free, simple, and secure personal finance web application which consolidates a person’s financial life in one place. Patzer developed the full alpha version of Mint.com (in Java J2EE and mySQL) in 2006 before he met Josh Kopelman (founder of half.com) and Rob Hayes in the fall of 2006. Their meeting eventually led to funding, and in September 2007, Patzer launched Mint.com at the TechCrunch40 conference a year later – ultimately winning the $50K first prize.
In November 2009, Patzer became the Vice President and General Manager of the Personal Finance Group at Intuit when they agreed to acquire Mint.com for US$170M. At the time of the announced sale, Mint.com had an estimated 1.5 million users. Prior to Mint, Aaron was a Lead Architect at Nascentric and was the technical lead of the San Jose office.
In September 2008, Patzer was listed in Inc. magazine’s Top 30 Under 30, and was selected by Fortune Magazine to be among the Top 40 Entrepreneurs Under 40 in 2009. Money Magazine also named him as one of the top 8 Money Heroes of 2008. In addition to his BSEE from Duke University, he also holds an MSEE from Princeton University and has twelve patents issued or pending to his name.
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 7:45 PM 0 COMMENTS
Entrepreneurship Spotlight: Start-up Challenge 2010’s Grand Finale Contestants
From an original lineup of over 100 competitors, tonight’s 1-minute pitch contestants include:
• Ecoviator
• The Progress and Purity Project
• Kosh
• Micropower
• Preservabowl
• Wasabi
• Eye Innovations
• GreenWave Sciences
• YourStory
• Curvit
• Colucci DANZA
• Rhexis Biomedical
• CertiRx
Each start-up company has exactly 1minute to convince a live audience of investors and spectators that their idea is worthy of the audience choice prize. The $25,000 grand prize has already been chosen at the Investor Pitch Finals last week, but tonight the winner will be revealed..
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 8:21 PM 0 COMMENTS
Entrepreneurship Spotlight: Start-up Contestant - Wasabi
Veteran start-up pitchers for Wasabi - a novel, fast-casual sushi restaurant concept, once again delivered a supreme investor pitch focused on key facts, clear insight, and a vision for success. Near the end of their polished, 1-minute investor pitch presentation, the Wasabi team gave the signal for an added visual aid to be brought on stage - the US National Championship Duke Men's Basketball team! The crowd howled with cheers as the championship athletes graced the stage - each sporting shirts carrying the Wasabi brand name. Another crowd-pleasing achievement for the Wasabi entrepreneurship team!
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 8:29 PM 0 COMMENTS
Moments away from a Winner
After radiant applause following the final start-up company pitch, audience members were invited to use a secure, text-messaging voting system to determine their choice of the $250 Audience Choice Award. Additionally, guest speaker Aaron Patzer was invited to pick his choice for the $500 Speakers' Choice Award. Audience members eagerly submitted their choices as the votes were tallied and the suspense began to build. Then, hosts Shalav Gupta and Vatsala Kabra approached the stage to reveal the winner.
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 8:45 PM 0 COMMENTS
The Winners are Announced!!
The conclusion of the 2010 Duke Start-up Challenge Grand Finale culminated with:
The $250 Audience Choice Award goes to: Wasabi!
The $500 Speaker’s Choice Award goes to: Micropower!
The Winner of the $5,000 Runner up Prize goes to: Rhexis Biomedical!
And…the $25,000 Grand Finale Prize Package goes to: Wasabi!
A huge Thank You to all contestants and audience members for making the 2010 Duke Start-up Challenge a truly unforgettable experience!
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 9:01 PM 0 COMMENTS
The Winners are Announced!!
The conclusion of the 2010 Duke Start-up Challenge Grand Finale culminated with:
The $250 Audience Choice Award goes to: Wasabi!
The $500 Speaker’s Choice Award goes to: Micropower!
The Winner of the $5,000 Runner up Prize goes to: Rhexis Biomedical!
And…the $25,000 Grand Finale Prize Package goes to: Wasabi!
A huge Thank You to all contestants and audience members for making the 2010 Duke Start-up Challenge a truly unforgettable experience!
The $250 Audience Choice Award goes to: Wasabi!
The $500 Speaker’s Choice Award goes to: Micropower!
The Winner of the $5,000 Runner up Prize goes to: Rhexis Biomedical!
And…the $25,000 Grand Finale Prize Package goes to: Wasabi!
A huge Thank You to all contestants and audience members for making the 2010 Duke Start-up Challenge a truly unforgettable experience!
Moments away from a Winner
After radiant applause following the final start-up company pitch, audience members were invited to use a secure, text-messaging voting system to determine their choice of the $250 Audience Choice Award. Additionally, guest speaker Aaron Patzer was invited to pick his choice for the $500 Speakers' Choice Award. Audience members eagerly submitted their choices as the votes were tallied and the suspense began to build. Then, hosts Shalav Gupta and Vatsala Kabra approached the stage to reveal the winner.
Entrepreneurship Spotlight: Start-up Challenge 2010’s Grand Finale Contestants
From an original lineup of over 100 competitors, tonight’s 1-minute pitch contestants include:
• Ecoviator
• The Progress and Purity Project
• Kosh
• Micropower
• Preservabowl
• Wasabi
• Eye Innovations
• GreenWave Sciences
• YourStory
• Curvit
• Colucci DANZA
• Rhexis Biomedical
• CertiRx
• Ecoviator
• The Progress and Purity Project
• Kosh
• Micropower
• Preservabowl
• Wasabi
• Eye Innovations
• GreenWave Sciences
• YourStory
• Curvit
• Colucci DANZA
• Rhexis Biomedical
• CertiRx
The Grand Finale Event Begins
As the evening opens, the Duke Start-up Challenge celebrates its 10th year of operation with an address by Aaron Patzer, a Duke alum and founder and CEO of Mint.com. Introduced by the evening’s host - second year MBA student Shalav Gupta - Aaron recently completed the sale of his company for $170 Million through an acquisition by financial software giant, Intuit.
Meet Aaron Patzer:
Duke University alum Aaron Patzer (T’02), started his professional career during the Internet boom years of 1998-2000 when he worked for Getawebsite.com and Miadora.com (an online jewelry store). After a number of engineering positions and internet startups, Patzer founded Mint.com in March 2006. Mint.com is a free, simple, and secure personal finance web application which consolidates a person’s financial life in one place. Patzer developed the full alpha version of Mint.com (in Java J2EE and mySQL) in 2006 before he met Josh Kopelman (founder of half.com) and Rob Hayes in the fall of 2006. Their meeting eventually led to funding, and in September 2007, Patzer launched Mint.com at the TechCrunch40 conference a year later – ultimately winning the $50K first prize.
In November 2009, Patzer became the Vice President and General Manager of the Personal Finance Group at Intuit when they agreed to acquire Mint.com for US$170M. At the time of the announced sale, Mint.com had an estimated 1.5 million users. Prior to Mint, Aaron was a Lead Architect at Nascentric and was the technical lead of the San Jose office.
In September 2008, Patzer was listed in Inc. magazine’s Top 30 Under 30, and was selected by Fortune Magazine to be among the Top 40 Entrepreneurs Under 40 in 2009. Money Magazine also named him as one of the top 8 Money Heroes of 2008. In addition to his BSEE from Duke University, he also holds an MSEE from Princeton University and has twelve patents issued or pending to his name.
Meet Aaron Patzer:
Duke University alum Aaron Patzer (T’02), started his professional career during the Internet boom years of 1998-2000 when he worked for Getawebsite.com and Miadora.com (an online jewelry store). After a number of engineering positions and internet startups, Patzer founded Mint.com in March 2006. Mint.com is a free, simple, and secure personal finance web application which consolidates a person’s financial life in one place. Patzer developed the full alpha version of Mint.com (in Java J2EE and mySQL) in 2006 before he met Josh Kopelman (founder of half.com) and Rob Hayes in the fall of 2006. Their meeting eventually led to funding, and in September 2007, Patzer launched Mint.com at the TechCrunch40 conference a year later – ultimately winning the $50K first prize.
In November 2009, Patzer became the Vice President and General Manager of the Personal Finance Group at Intuit when they agreed to acquire Mint.com for US$170M. At the time of the announced sale, Mint.com had an estimated 1.5 million users. Prior to Mint, Aaron was a Lead Architect at Nascentric and was the technical lead of the San Jose office.
In September 2008, Patzer was listed in Inc. magazine’s Top 30 Under 30, and was selected by Fortune Magazine to be among the Top 40 Entrepreneurs Under 40 in 2009. Money Magazine also named him as one of the top 8 Money Heroes of 2008. In addition to his BSEE from Duke University, he also holds an MSEE from Princeton University and has twelve patents issued or pending to his name.
Welcome to the Duke Start-up Challenge Grand Finale Event!
This is the event everyone’s been waiting for. Tonight, the winners of the 2010 Duke Start-up Challenge will be crowned and the $25,000 grand prize will be awarded. The evening begins with a keynote address from legendary Duke entrepreneur, Aaron Patzer, founder and CEO of Mint.com. After an inspiring round of investor pitches led by Duke student entrepreneurs, the evening will crescendo into a time for the audience to select their choice for the winner of a cash award and when the winner of the $25,000 grand prize will be revealed.
Tonight marks the conclusion of months of preparation by aspiring entrepreneurs across Duke’s campus. Completing live on stage at the Fuqua School of Business, 13 of the best start-up company teams will deliver their one-minute elevator pitches with hopes of winning the grand prize.
Tonight marks the conclusion of months of preparation by aspiring entrepreneurs across Duke’s campus. Completing live on stage at the Fuqua School of Business, 13 of the best start-up company teams will deliver their one-minute elevator pitches with hopes of winning the grand prize.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Event Summary: 2010 Duke Start-up Challenge Investor Pitch Finals
Welcome to the 2010 Investor Pitch Finals Event of the Duke Start-Up Challenge!
Live from Fuqua's HCA Auditorium, a cast of 7 teams has been selected from an original lineup of 109 start-up company contestants. Each team will be presenting a new start-up business concept led by Duke students of all ages and academic disciplines. Each of the 7 finalists will have the opportunity to present an 8 minute investor pitch before a live audience and panel of judges for the chance to win $25,000.
Tonight’s event will be hosted by Fuqua MBA student Shalav Gupta, and will be featuring a distinguished panel of judges including:
Jack Egan, Founding Managing Partner of Egan-Managed Capital - a Boston based venture capital fund.
Karen LeVert, President and CEO of Southeast TechInventures - a technology accelerator for the rapid conversion of university scientific breakthroughs into new companies.
Greg Mario, CEO of Taxis Pharmaceuticals - a pharmaceutical company targeting highly resistant forms of bacterial pathogens.
Michael Olander, President and Owner of Apple Gold Group - which owns and operates a total of 80 restaurants.
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 7:11 PM
And They’re Off!
The 2010 Investor Pitch Finals Event opened with a packed auditorium filled with Duke students and lots of energy. After personal introductions by each of the judges, host Shalav Gupta opened the stage to the first investor pitch finalist competitor, Colucci DANZA – a unique, new approach to ballet shoes that are ergonomically and stylishly designed.
In addition to Colucci DANZA, the lineup of investor pitch competitors for the evening consists of:
MicroPower – Developers of an ethanol-powered microengine designed for consumer electronics.
Wasabi – Ushering in a new era of fast casual dining through made-to-order sushi offered at reasonable prices.
Rhexis – Creators of a disposal surgical instrument that improves the accuracy and reliability of cataract surgery.
Curvit – A creative new way to utilize the internet to organize and facilitate resume building.
Green Wave Sciences – Seeking to develop solutions to agricultural crop pestilences through the use of electromagnetic radiation.
The Progress and Purity Project – Aims to facilitate the empowerment of native Afghan women through microfinance, handicraft fair trade, and food sanitation.
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 7:32 PM 0 COMMENTS
Contestant Highlight: Micropower
Developers of an ethanol-powered microengine, two Duke Ph.D students have created a system to produce electric current from a miniature combustion engine. Their start-up company, called Micropower, is designed to power electronic devices at a fraction of the price of traditional batteries.
In terms of output, 1 microengine is worth approximately $21,000 worth of conventional batteries. Their current market opportunities include the US military, the $71 Billion global commercial battery market, and the consumer electronics market. They are currently seeking series-A start-up funding between $1-2 Million.
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 7:53 PM 0 COMMENTS
Contestant Highlight - Green Wave Sciences
Green Wave Sciences is seeking tap into the $10 Billion market for agricultural soil purification. The company is seeking to develop an innovative alternative to agricultural crop pesticides through the use of electromagnetic radiation.
Their core product is a proprietary soil sterilizer, using microwave-radiation technology that is towed by a tractor through a crop's fields. Their product plans to neutralize harmful biological elements at a cost of $49 per acre, versus the $580 per acre cost that is common when using methyl bromide - the company’s closest competitor.
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 8:44 PM
See you at the Grand Finale!
After a full evening of investor pitches by each of the 7 competing teams, the judges addressed the audience with a series of critiques and observations centered on venture investing. Next, they retreated to a private room to deliberate over their choice of a winner. The winner of the 2010 Duke Start-Up Challenge Investor Pitch Finals will be revealed during the final event of the year – the Grand Finale.
The Grand Finale will be held on April 16th at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and will feature a special appearance and address by Duke Alum Aaron Patzer ’02, Founder and CEO of Mint.com. In the fall of 2009, Aaron’s company was purchased by Intuit in an incredible $170 Million acquisition.
At the Grand Finale, the winning team of the 2010 Investor Pitch Competition will be crowned and the grand prize package of $25,000 will be awarded. All Duke students, post-docs, faculty and staff invited to attend. See you at the Grand Finale!
POSTED BY TREVOR SCOTT AT 9:10 PM
See you at the Grand Finale!
After a full evening of investor pitches by each of the 7 competing teams, the judges addressed the audience with a series of critiques and observations centered on venture investing. Next, they retreated to a private room to deliberate over their choice of a winner. The winner of the 2010 Duke Start-Up Challenge Investor Pitch Finals will be revealed during the final event of the year – the Grand Finale.
The Grand Finale will be held on April 16th at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and will feature a special appearance and address by Duke Alum Aaron Patzer ’02, Founder and CEO of Mint.com. In the fall of 2009, Aaron’s company was purchased by Intuit in an incredible $170 Million acquisition.
At the Grand Finale, the winning team of the 2010 Investor Pitch Competition will be crowned and the grand prize package of $25,000 will be awarded. All Duke students, post-docs, faculty and staff invited to attend. See you at the Grand Finale!
The Grand Finale will be held on April 16th at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and will feature a special appearance and address by Duke Alum Aaron Patzer ’02, Founder and CEO of Mint.com. In the fall of 2009, Aaron’s company was purchased by Intuit in an incredible $170 Million acquisition.
At the Grand Finale, the winning team of the 2010 Investor Pitch Competition will be crowned and the grand prize package of $25,000 will be awarded. All Duke students, post-docs, faculty and staff invited to attend. See you at the Grand Finale!
Contestant Highlight - Green Wave Sciences
Green Wave Sciences is seeking tap into the $10 Billion market for agricultural soil purification. The company is seeking to develop an innovative alternative to agricultural crop pesticides through the use of electromagnetic radiation.
Their core product is a proprietary soil sterilizer, using microwave-radiation technology that is towed by a tractor through a crop's fields. Their product plans to neutralize harmful biological elements at a cost of $49 per acre, versus the $580 per acre cost that is common for using methyl bromide - the company’s closest competitor.
Their core product is a proprietary soil sterilizer, using microwave-radiation technology that is towed by a tractor through a crop's fields. Their product plans to neutralize harmful biological elements at a cost of $49 per acre, versus the $580 per acre cost that is common for using methyl bromide - the company’s closest competitor.
Contestant Highlight: Micropower
Developers of an ethanol-powered microengine, two Duke Ph.D students have created a system to produce electronic current from a miniature combustion engine. Their start-up company concept, called Micropower, is designed to power electronic devices at a fraction of the price of traditional batteries.
In terms of output, 1 microengine is worth approximately $21,000 worth of conventional batteries. Their current market opportunities include the US military, the $71 Billion global commercial battery market, and the consumer electronics market. They are currently seeking series-A start-up funding between $1-2 Million.
In terms of output, 1 microengine is worth approximately $21,000 worth of conventional batteries. Their current market opportunities include the US military, the $71 Billion global commercial battery market, and the consumer electronics market. They are currently seeking series-A start-up funding between $1-2 Million.
And they’re off!
The 2010 Investor Pitch Finals Event opened with a packed auditorium filled with Duke students and lots of energy. After personal introductions by each of the judges, host Shalav Gupta opened the stage to the first investor pitch finalist competitor, Colucci DANZA – a unique, new approach to ballet shoes that are ergonomically and stylistically designed.
In addition to Colucci DANZA, the lineup of investor pitch competitors for the evening consists of:
MicroPower – Developers of an ethanol-powered microengine designed for consumer electronics.
Wasabi – Ushering in a new era of fast casual dining through made-to-order sushi offered at reasonable prices.
Rhexis – Creators of a disposal surgical instrument that improves the accuracy and reliability of cataract surgery.
Curvit – A creative new way to utilize the internet to organize and facilitate resume building.
Green Wave Sciences – Seeking to develop solutions to agricultural crop pestilences through the use of electromagnetic radiation.
The Progress and Purity Project – Aims to facilitate the empowerment of native Afghan women through microfinance, handicraft fair trade, and food sanitation.
In addition to Colucci DANZA, the lineup of investor pitch competitors for the evening consists of:
MicroPower – Developers of an ethanol-powered microengine designed for consumer electronics.
Wasabi – Ushering in a new era of fast casual dining through made-to-order sushi offered at reasonable prices.
Rhexis – Creators of a disposal surgical instrument that improves the accuracy and reliability of cataract surgery.
Curvit – A creative new way to utilize the internet to organize and facilitate resume building.
Green Wave Sciences – Seeking to develop solutions to agricultural crop pestilences through the use of electromagnetic radiation.
The Progress and Purity Project – Aims to facilitate the empowerment of native Afghan women through microfinance, handicraft fair trade, and food sanitation.
Welcome to the Duke Start-Up Challenge
Welcome to the 2010 Investor Pitch Finals Event of the Duke Start-Up Challenge!!
Live from Fuqua's HCA Auditorium, a cast of 7 teams has been selected from an original lineup of 109 start-up company contestants. Each team will be presenting a new start-up business concept led by Duke students of all ages and academic disciplines. Each of the seven finalists will have the opportunity to present an 8 minute investor pitch before a live audience and panel of judges for the chance to win $25,000.
Tonight’s event will be hosted by Fuqua MBA student Shalav Gupta, and will be featuring a distinguished panel of judges including:
Jack Egan, Founding Managing Partner of Egan-Managed Capital - a Boston based venture capital fund.
Karen LeVert, President and CEO of Southeast TechInventures - a technology accelerator for the rapid conversion of university scientific breakthroughs into new companies.
Greg Mario, CEO of Taxis Pharmaceuticals - a pharmaceutical company targeting highly resistant forms of bacterial pathogens.
Michael Olander, President and Owner of Apple Gold Group - which owns and operates a total of 80 restaurants.
Live from Fuqua's HCA Auditorium, a cast of 7 teams has been selected from an original lineup of 109 start-up company contestants. Each team will be presenting a new start-up business concept led by Duke students of all ages and academic disciplines. Each of the seven finalists will have the opportunity to present an 8 minute investor pitch before a live audience and panel of judges for the chance to win $25,000.
Tonight’s event will be hosted by Fuqua MBA student Shalav Gupta, and will be featuring a distinguished panel of judges including:
Jack Egan, Founding Managing Partner of Egan-Managed Capital - a Boston based venture capital fund.
Karen LeVert, President and CEO of Southeast TechInventures - a technology accelerator for the rapid conversion of university scientific breakthroughs into new companies.
Greg Mario, CEO of Taxis Pharmaceuticals - a pharmaceutical company targeting highly resistant forms of bacterial pathogens.
Michael Olander, President and Owner of Apple Gold Group - which owns and operates a total of 80 restaurants.
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