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News Release
 
EVENT NEWS / February 29, 2008
Tipline to Prevent School Violence Among Ideas to be
Presented at Northwest Venture Championship® March 7-8
Entrepreneurs from across the United States and Canada will bring their
business ideas to Boise March 7-8 for the seventh annual Northwest Venture
Championship®, hosted by Boise State University.
Teams of student entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas for new business
ventures before a panel of judges made up of leading entrepreneurs,
investors and business professionals from across the Intermountain Region.
The winning teams will take away more than $54,000 in startup capital and
awards.
Numerous promising ventures will be highlighted this year, according to Kent
Neupert, a professor of management at Boise State and event director. Among
them are School Tipline, a venture that offers new communication solutions
for school safety and has already been credited with preventing a possible
school shooting in Utah, several medical innovations, a battery that makes
electric vehicles easier to use, climate-controlled clothing and a country
club that features a car racing track.
New this year is the VengaWorks Sustainability Award. VengaWorks’ goals are
to engage the entrepreneurial community in an ongoing dialogue about
achieving economic and environmental sustainability; to integrate
environmental sustainability as a core element of the new business planning
process; and to inspire new and innovative thinking about products, services
or operational systems that can demonstrate economic viability in the
marketplace. To formally recognize new contributions toward these goals, the
VengaWorks Sustainability Award will be presented to a qualifying team in
the Northwest Venture Championship®.
Collegiate entrepreneurs from Boise State, Brigham Young University,
California State University-Chico, Colorado State University, Queen’s
University (Canada), University of Arkansas, University of British Columbia,
University of Georgia, University of Houston, University of Iowa, University
of Louisville, University of Manitoba, University of Michigan, University of
Oregon, University of Wisconsin, Wake Forest University, Washington
University (St. Louis) and Westmont College will compete over two days for
cash and an invitation to MOOT CORP®, the Superbowl® of business plan
competitions, to be held at the University of Texas at Austin in May.
Boise State’s participating teams are the winners of the Bronco Venture
Challenge, held earlier this month. The Bronco Venture Challenge brings
Boise State student entrepreneurship teams together with business executives
and investors. This year’s winners are RLH Technologies (Jonathan Hill,
Jenna Strong and Craig Johnson) in the graduate track and R2EV (Alex
Livingston) in the undergraduate track. RLH Technologies is a fleet
management software system and R2EV is a new battery design that makes
electric vehicles easier to use. Each took home the top prize of $1,250,
thanks to prize sponsors Idaho TechConnect and Treasure Valley SCORE. The
second-place graduate team, Pronetos (Chris Blanchard and Wyatt Werner),
also was awarded $500 in start-up money.
This year’s Northwest Venture Championship events will be held at the
Hampton Inn & Suites Boise/Downtown, 495 South Capitol Blvd. The schedule is
as follows:
Friday, March 7
8 a.m.-noon — First round of competition for the graduate track. Each team
presents its business idea in 15 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of
questions from judges.
11 a.m.-4 p.m. — First round of competition for the undergraduate track.
Each team presents its business idea in 15 minutes, followed by 20 minutes
of questions from judges.
5:30-8 p.m. — Trade Show and Elevator Pitch Competition hosted by Boise
Valley Economic Partnership, Idaho Department of Commerce Office of Science
and Technology, the Consulate General of Canada, and Boise State. Teams will
give 60-second “elevator” pitches on their business ideas.
Saturday, March 8
8 a.m.-noon — Finals round of competition. First-round winning teams present
their business ideas in 15 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of questions from
judges. Teams that were eliminated in the first round compete in a 10-minute
“limo” pitch.
12-3 p.m. — Northwest Venture Championship Awards Reception. Allen Noble
Hall of Fame, adjacent to Bronco Stadium on the Boise State campus.
The initial idea behind Northwest Venture Championship was to inspire and
encourage students to act on their own ideas for creating new businesses. By
crafting business plans and presenting their ideas before a panel, student
teams prepare themselves for the challenges of turning their concepts into
commercial enterprises. The business plan competition started as a small,
regional competition and has grown into an international event that has
welcomed students and faculty from across the United States, Canada, Mexico
and Australia.
For more information, contact Neupert at (208) 426-2397 or
kneupert@boisestate.edu, or
visit
www.northwestventurechampionship.org.
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Contact: Sherry Squires, University Communications, (208) 426-1563,
ssquires@boisestate.edu
Boise State University is emerging as a metropolitan research university
of distinction. This transformation is being powered by the university’s
first comprehensive campaign to support students, faculty, strategic
initiatives, research and infrastructure. That’s why the campaign to raise
$175 million in private support is called Destination Distinction.
The Office of Communications and Marketing - Boise State
University
1910 University Drive - Boise Idaho 83725-1030
Located in Capitol Village, 2225 W. University Drive
email
communications@boisestate.edu
Last reviewed on
Friday, February 29, 2008
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