FAU awards $125,000 in cash, prizes, at business plan competition
April 25, 2011 · 0 Comments
BOCA RATON – Florida Atlantic University’s Adams Center for Entrepreneurship and the College of Business, along with SBA Communications Corporation, recently hosted the 2011 FAU Business Plan Competition, in which FAU students, alumni and, for the first time, members of the business community competed for a share of more than $125,000 in cash and prizes.
“The competition is a game changing program,” said Kimberly Gramm, assistant dean and director of the Adams Center for Entrepreneurship. “With the help of the business community we are trying to create an entrepreneur eco-system to enhance the success of entrepreneurs and small businesses in South Florida.”
More than 340 guests attended the competition, with more than 167 teams registered for the competition, up from 121 last year. Of those, 16 advanced to the final round events.
Arturo Devesa won the student track portion of the 2011 Business Plan Competition for his prototype, Medwhat.com
The student track winner who got $30,000 in cash and prizes was FAU student Arturo Devesa and his prototype Medwhat.com, a “Health and Medicine Knowledge Engine” that automatically answers health and medicine questions, and acts like a virtual doctor on the Internet.”
The community track winner of the competition and $30,000 in cash and prizes was Sukhsagar Jolly and his prototype Biofont, microfluid disposable test strips used to swab the nares to collect nasal samples.
Following a presentation, Ideal I Do’s Inc. won the second annual People’s Choice Award and a $5,000 cash prize.
FAU President Mary Jane Saunders; J. Dennis Coates, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business; and Scott Adams, former member of FAU’s Board of Trustees, presided over the 2011 awards ceremony. FAU alumnus, Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, provided the keynote address and personal book signing of his biography, “Obstacles Welcome.” David Rich, an alumnus from FAU’s College of Business, provided inspirational words regarding his experience as last year’s winner in the competition.
