Fifth Annual Baylor Business New Venture Competition Will Award More Than $138,000 in Cash Prizes

February 10, 2016
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Media contact: Eric Eckert, (254) 710-1964
WACO, Texas (Feb. 10, 2016) – Baylor University’s John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship in the Hankamer School of Business will host the fifth annual Baylor New Venture Competition on Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27, in the Foster Campus for Business and Innovation.
The competition is a two-day, dual-round business plan and speed pitch competition intended to promote entrepreneurship and small business development. This year, 146 applications were received from 83 universities in the preliminary round. More than $138,000 in prizes will be awarded at the competition, in addition to many thousands of dollars’ worth of support services from sponsors. Twelve finalists from universities across the nation will compete in this year’s competition.
“This is going to be a great year for the competition,” said Wes Nemec, program manager for the John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship. “We are proud to have Dell, Inc., serving as this year’s title sponsor and are excited to host the competition for the first time at the brand-new Foster Campus. Our finalists are outstanding. This will surely be an event that you don’t want to miss.”
The weekend will begin at noon Friday, Feb. 26, in the Foster Atrium with a campus tour followed by a late lunch and check-in. Events will take place leading up to the 6 p.m. kickoff banquet and elevator pitch competition in Meyer Conference Center. Saturday competition events will start at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 4:45 p.m.
When the New Venture Competition was launched in 2012, 11 teams from Baylor competed and a total of $25,000 was awarded in prizes.
Last year’s winners, Chase Kaczmarek and Victoria Lee from the University of Maryland, won $30,000 for their Wheel Shields innovation, an upgrade to longboards that keeps skaters dry on wet roads, ends wheel bite and lets riders invent new tricks. This year, the first place prize has increased to $50,000.
This event is open to the public. The cost to attend is $80 for the weekend. The Foster Campus for Business and Innovation is located at 1621 S. Third St.
For learn more or to view a list of finalists, visit the event website.
by Bethany Harper, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
ABOUT HANKAMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business provides a rigorous academic experience, consisting of classroom and hands-on learning, guided by Christian commitment and a global perspective. Recognized nationally for several programs, including Entrepreneurship and Accounting, the school offers 24 undergraduate and 13 graduate areas of study. Visit www.baylor.edu/business and follow on Twitter at twitter.com/Baylor_Business.