DukeGEN Blog

Monday, November 16, 2009

Startup Challenge Snapshot

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 to the judges!

Day 1 – Welcome to the Duke Startup 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 of undergraduates, 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 Pitch Competition. 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.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Duke Start-Up Challenge Elevator Pitch Competition Stats

Duke Start-Up Challenge Elevator Pitch Competition Stats

Nice increase over last year.

Total pitches (counting by tracks) - 129 (up from 68 last year)
Total teams (unique) - 74

Undergrad - 38 (up from 17 last year)
Women - 17 (new track)

Energy and Environment - 15 (new track)

Healthcare & Life Sciences - 13 (up from 7 last year)
IT & Media - 20 (up from 16 last year)
Social Enterprises - 12 (down from 15 last year)
Products & Services - 14 (up from 13 last year)

Top Schools

Trinity - 29
Fuqua - 20
Pratt - 18
Grad School (Sciences) - 6
Pratt - Master of Engineering Management - 5
Law - 3
Nicholas (Environment) - 3

--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director
Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Room E167J
919-617-1123 mobile
www.fuqua.duke.edu/centers/cei

Duke Entrepreneurship Links:
- Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
- A Duke Resource for Entrepreneurs: www.dukeVEN.com
- Weekly Education Series - www.dukeDEES.com
- Connect with Duke Entrepreneurs - www.dukegen.com
- Find a startup - www.startupmatchmaker.blogspot.com
- Duke Start-Up Challenge - www.dukestartupchallenge.org
- Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club - www.dukeevcc.com
- Twitter - http://twitter.com/EshipAtDuke
- Entering the Duke Start-Up Challenge? See example business plans - email me for a copy of Business Plan Pro (advert)

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Microsoft Technology Evangelist networking - Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Dan'l Lewin is one of Microsoft's startup evangelists and he is going to be at the LSRC (http://maps.oit.duke.edu/building/36) on Wednesday to chat with students from 1:45-2:30pm.

If any of you are interested you are welcome to attend. This event is open to all Duke students.

Howie

_____________________________

Dan'l Lewin

Corporate Vice President for Strategic and Emerging Business Development

Microsoft Corporation

Location: D344 Levine Science Research Center

Faculty Roundtable – 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM

Student Session – 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM (Pizza and drinks have been ordered for students)

Dan'l is a great leader in the industry with a great breadth of experience across Microsoft, Apple Computers, and a couple startups (Go Corp and Aurigin Systems). This is a rare opportunity to for students to get some perspective from a leader who has participated in nearly every aspect of the engineering lifecycle across several different companies.

Biography - Dan'l Lewin:

Dan'l Lewin, corporate vice president for Strategic and Emerging Business Development, is responsible for Microsoft Corp.'s global relationships with startups, venture capitalists and the business relationships with industry partners such as Adobe Systems Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc. and IBM Corp. Based in Silicon Valley, Lewin also has executive and site responsibility for the company's operations in Mountain View, Calif., which currently employ 2,000 people. Currently, Dan'l is leading the effort behind Microsoft BizSpark - a global program designed to accelerate the success of early stage Startups. BizSpark provides software, support and visibility to early stage Startups.

Additional Information About:

BizSpark - http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/

Dan'l - http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/lewin/default.aspx

--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director
Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Room E167J
919-617-1123 mobile
hwr2@duke.edu
www.fuqua.duke.edu/centers/cei

Watch our video: www.fuqua.duke.edu/wakeup

Duke Entrepreneurship Links:
- Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
- A Duke Resource for Entrepreneurs: www.dukeVEN.com
- Weekly Education Series - www.dukeDEES.com
- Connect with Duke Entrepreneurs - www.dukegen.com
- Find a startup - www.startupmatchmaker.blogspot.com
- Duke Start-Up Challenge - www.dukestartupchallenge.org
- Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club - www.dukeevcc.com
- Twitter - http://twitter.com/EshipAtDuke
- Entering the Duke Start-Up Challenge? See example business plans - email me for a copy of Business Plan Pro (advert)

Friday, October 2, 2009

Event Summary for the Duke Start-up Challenge - Kickoff Event and Match Night

Thurs, October 1, 2009, 6:30-9pm

Co-marketed by the Duke Entrepreneurship Education Series

www.dukestartupchallenge.org

www.dukeDEES.com

Executive Summary:

The Duke Start-up Challenge (DSC) had a fantastic start to the 2009-2010 academic year. With 140 registered on facebook and over 160 attending (estimate) it was an energetic, lively crowd. After a solid overview by Shalav Gupta, co-president of the DSC, there was a welcome by Adam Mangone, co-president of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, www.dukeEVCC.com.

Sponsors include Intersouth Partners, Wyrick Robbins, Hutchison Law Group, Hughes Pittman & Gupton, Square 1 Bank, iContact, and Palo Alto Software.

The main part of the night were the startup pitches, run by Katherine Ryzhaya, Team development lead for the DSC. There were 31 startups that pitched, which ranged from:

-a few undergraduates including a freshmen at Duke who wanted to start a website that guided high school students on how to get into college.

-several Fuqua MBA students pitching startups based on technologies and innovations, including a medical device for to treat urinary incontincence , as well as a nanotechnology innovation that has created the world's longest carbon nanotubes

-a Master of Engineering Management student located in the DUhatch Student Business Incubator

-a few Duke PhD students wanting to bring their technologies out of their lab, including one prosthetic arm innovation recently profiled on 60 Minutes

-a few members of Research Triangle Park community with innovations looking for students to help them launch.

The formal part of the Kickoff Event was closed by Steve Pal, co-president of the Duke Start-Up Challenge.

Though it was late in the night, a surprising number of people (estimate of 75) stayed afterwards for the matching event. Color coded dots on the name badges helped people with similar interests connect with one another. Several of the presenters reported making good connections at the networking session.

The Kickoff event has been a part of the Duke Start-up Challenge in various forms, depending on the year, sometimes including pitches, sometimes not. I think tonight's formula, with the mix of introduction, pitches, and networking, was a solid formula and is worth repeating in future years.

The Duke Start-Up Challenge was conceived of in 1999 and the first academic year of the competition was 2000-2001.

Photos and videos of the event will be available at www.picasaweb.google.com/eshipatduke and www.youtube.com/eshipatduke.

Additional thanks to the great volunteers that are part of the Duke Start-Up Challenge who helped last night, including (but not limited to) Daniel Weinstein, Peter Brown, Jason Henderson, Jason Begleiter, Vatsala Kabra, Michelle Marais, Jozef Krakora, Vignesh Loganthan, Danni Lin, Lalith Devulapalli, Kwame Johnson, Justin Healy, and Nick Donowitz. And thanks to Cate Smith at Meriwe-ther-Godsey and to the BMO (Glenn Reynolds, Jeff Sturkey, Scott Plueddeman, Chuck Roberson). Thanks to advisors and supporters Barry Myers, Jon Fjeld, and Larry Boyd. Apologies to any names left off accidentally.

Written by Howie Rhee, Co-advisor to the Duke Start-Up Challenge
--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director
Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Room E167J
919-617-1123 mobile
hwr2@duke.edu
www.fuqua.duke.edu/centers/cei

Watch our video: www.fuqua.duke.edu/wakeup

Duke Entrepreneurship Links:
- Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
- A Duke Resource for Entrepreneurs: www.dukeVEN.com
- Weekly Education Series - www.dukeDEES.com
- Connect with Duke Entrepreneurs - www.dukegen.com
- Find a startup - www.startupmatchmaker.blogspot.com
- Duke Start-Up Challenge - www.dukestartupchallenge.org
- Entrepreneurship Week - www.eweekatduke.com
- Twitter - http://twitter.com/EshipAtDuke
- Blog - www.howierhee.blogspot.com
- Photos - http://picasaweb.google.com/EshipAtDuke
- LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/howierhee
- Entering the Duke Start-Up Challenge? See example business plans - email me for a copy of Business Plan Pro (advert)
- Resources from Intuit at http://smallbusinessunited.com (advert)
- Learn VC - www.learnvc.com (advertisement)

Friday, September 11, 2009

Wanna start a company at Duke? Join us for Entrepreneurship 101 with serial entrepreneurs Jesse Lipson '00 and Brooks Bell '02

Interested in web marketing, software programming, or starting your own company? Wondering when is a good time to start your own company? Meet two former Duke students who became entrepreneurs as undergraduates.

Join us this Thursday, September 17th, for a talk on the basics of entrepreneurship with two Duke Alumni: Jesse Lipson, CEO of ShareFile, and Brooks Bell, CEO of Brooks Bell Interactive. A self-taught software programmer and entrepreneur, Jesse Lipson '00 has been involved in several successful startups including Rapidata.net, Brooks Bell Interactive, and ShareFile. As CEO, Jesse has overseen the growth of ShareFile to over 7,000 customers in less than four years. Brooks Bell '02 co-founded novelProjects, a web design and development firm, when she was a senior at Duke. After graduating, she founded Brooks Bell Interactive, which is now one of the top five marketing firms in the Raleigh-Durham area.

What: Entrepreneurship 101, Part of the Duke Entrepreneurship Education Series

When: Thursday, September 17th, from 6pm-8:30pm
6pm-7pm - Food and Networking
7pm-8pm - Entrepreneurship 101 Talk by Jesse Lipson '00 and Brooks Bell '02
8pm-8:30pm - Speed Networking (optional)

Where: Teer 203 and Lobby

Who for: Open to any Duke University student

Please register for this event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=162783901200&ref=ts

Visit our website at http://www.dukedees.com/ to check for the latest schedule and for more information. All events subject to change.

And mark your calendars for the Duke Start-Up Challenge Finals Event on Friday, November 20th with Google Ventures co-founder, Bill Maris, and the Elevator Pitch Competition / Entrepreneurship Week starting November 16th, 2009!

About Jesse Lipson '00

A self-taught software programmer and entrepreneur, Jesse has been involved in internet technologies since 1999, when he co-founded a software company focused on the personalization of online advertising. In 2001, he became President of Rapidata.net, a pharmaceutical marketing research company. In just two years, he helped grow revenues at Rapidata.net by over 500% and laid the foundation for the company's acquisition by Greenfield Online (SRVY). Subsequent to Rapidata.net, Jesse co-founded the internet services firm novelProjects and served as the company's CEO. Over the years, novelProjects has evolved into Brooks Bell Interactive and ShareFile. Jesse serves as the Vice President of Brooks Bell Interactive, an online advertising services company with clients such as AOL, AARP, and Nickelodeon and 20 employees. He currently serves as President and CEO for ShareFile, an inte rnet software company. In less than 4 years, ShareFile has grown from zero to over 7,000 customers and 17 full-time employees. In September 2006, ShareFile registered its 10,000th user after introducing their services to the international market less than a year before. Jesse graduated Magna Cum Laude from Duke University degree in philosophy in 2000.

About Brooks Bell '02
Prior to founding Brooks Bell Interactive in 2003, Brooks Bell co-founded web design and development firm, novelProjects, during her senior year at Duke. She is founder and president of Brooks Bell Interactiveand a self-taught designer and marketer. Now in its sixth year, the company has grown to a team of 19, with growth fueled by word of mouth, great service and high quality standards. The company has gained national clients such as AOL, The Wall Street Journal, Nickelodeon and XM Radio adding its newest clients, Chase, ServiceMaster, and the Washington Post within the last year. Brooks Bell Interactive is now a top five interactive marketing firm in the Raleigh-Durham area. Brooks' frequent speaking engagements include presentations at the 2009 MarketingSherpa Email Summit and 2009 DM Days Conference, the 2008 Internet Summit in Chapel Hill, HOW Magazine's "Mind Your Own Business" for agency principals in 2008, and Duke University Entrepre neurship classes for several years. Additionally, Brooks has been published as an expert in the fields of direct marketing and conversion path optimization in iMedia Connection, Tech Journal South, and Duke Magazine. She is an active member of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO). She graduated with a degree in psychology as part of Duke University's class of 2002.

Hosts
Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, www.dukeevcc.com
Duke Start-Up Challenge, www.dukestartupchallenge.org
Fuqua's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, www.fuqua.duke.edu/centers/cei
Duke's Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization, http://cerc.duke.edu
DUHatch Student Business Incubator

Sponsors and Supporters
Intersouth Partners, a leading venture capital firm - http://www.intersouth.com

Hughes Pittman & Gupton, an accounting firm for startups - http://www.hpg.com

Hutchison Law Group, a law firm for startups – http://www.hutchlaw.com

iContact, email marketing software - http://www.icontact.com

Square 1 Bank, a venture bank for startups - http://www.square1bank.com

Wyrick Robbins, a law firm for startups – http://www.wyrick.com

To see the full Fall 2009 schedule, go to http://www.dukedees.com/schedule

To review past presentations, go to http://www.dukedees.com/session-downloads

Questions? Contact Howie Rhee, hwr2@duke.edu

==============================

About the Duke Entrepreneurship Education Series
The Duke Entrepreneurship Education Series (DEES) is a comprehensive program designed to introduce all Duke students – from graduate, professional and undergraduate schools – to the key concepts necessary for a future in entrepreneurship or venture capital.

The series intends to connect students from all parts of the Duke community, including liberal arts, business, law, engineering, public policy, medical and science fields, with the goal of increasing the likelihood that exciting developments in the lab will find the key collaborators needed to translate innovations into full-fledged companies.

The sessions alternate between Fuqua and Teer. The events run as follows:

1) Each session will begin with a social hour at 6pm, including food and drink.

2) The speaker will go on at 7pm, and will talk for 40-60 minutes, followed by a Q&A.

3) Finally, after the speaker there will be an additional opportunity for networking with classmates and speakers.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Tonight! Duke Start-Up Challenge Info Session - Tuesday (9/8) 7pm

The Duke Startup Challenge will be holding an Information Session for all interested members of the Duke community on Tuesday September 8^th. Organizers will provide an overview of the competition and opportunities to get involved as both a competitor and organizer.

Where: Fuqua School of Business, Mosler Classroom

http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/documents/programs/campus_map.pdf

When: Tuesday, September 8^th

We will hold two identical sessions

o Session 1 – 7:05 – 7:35

o Session 2 – 7:40 – 8:10

Who Should Attend: All Duke students interested in entrepreneurship or individuals interested in supporting the DSC as an Organizing Committee member.

For those interested, we will be taking applications for Organizing Committee positions starting September 9th.

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!

Best,

The Duke Start-Up Challenge Team

Duke Start-Up Challenge is a year-long entrepreneurship competition that encourages students to plan and launch their own businesses, receive feedback from experienced professionals, and have the chance to win seed capital up to $25,000.

http://www.dukestartupchallenge.org/

Fan us on Facebook: DSC Facebook Page

This message was sent from Duke Start-Up Challenge to hwr2@duke.edu. It was sent from: Duke University, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Fuqua School of Business Duke University 1 Towerview Drive, Durham, NC 27708. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.

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--
Howie Rhee, MBA
Managing Director
Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Room E167J
919-617-1123 mobile
hwr2@duke.edu
www.fuqua.duke.edu/centers/cei

Watch our video: www.fuqua.duke.edu/wakeup

Duke Entrepreneurship Links:
- Entrepreneurship at Duke - www.EntrepreneurshipAtDuke.com
- A Duke Resource for Entrepreneurs: www.dukeVEN.com
- Weekly Education Series - www.dukeDEES.com
- Connect with Duke Entrepreneurs - www.dukegen.com
- Find a startup - www.startupmatchmaker.blogspot.com
- Duke Start-Up Challenge - www.dukestartupchallenge.org
- Entrepreneurship Week - www.eweekatduke.com
- Twitter - http://twitter.com/EshipAtDuke
- Blog - www.howierhee.blogspot.com
- Photos - http://picasaweb.google.com/EshipAtDuke
- LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/howierhee
- Entering the Duke Start-Up Challenge? See example business plans - email me for a copy of Business Plan Pro (advert)
- Resources from Intuit at http://smallbusinessunited.com (advert)
- Learn VC - www.learnvc.com (advertisement)