Florida Venture Blog by Dan Rua dan

No-BS Venture Thoughts for No-BS Entrepreneurs.

A running perspective on Florida's growing tech and venture community, with an occasional detour to the Southeast/national scene, venture capital FAQs and maybe a gadget or two....

By Dan Rua, Managing Partner of Inflexion Partners -- "Florida's Venture Fund".

Florida Collegiate Business Plan Competition

Congratulations to student entrepreneurs Ryan Tseng (left) and Alex Nogueras (right) who won Florida's inaugural statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition.

I've judged plenty of schoolwide business plan contests, but this statewide effort was the best I've been a part of. The two-day competition at the Gaylord Palms Resort (cool place) in Orlando featured 12 teams from nine Florida colleges and universities. The teams delivered written business plans and gave live presentations to a panel of judges interested in start-up business investments. Nearly 100 business, government and academic leaders attended the competition.

The track I judged included everything from alternate energy businesses, to a jet taxi service, to a new in-line game for amusement parks. The winner was Alex Nogueras, graduate of Florida International University, and his G-Force line of ergonomic garden tools. The other track was taken by University of Florida graduate Ryan Tseng and his PowerPad patent-pending wireless power transmision system.

Wireless power is an area I've been researching independently so I'll be following up with Ryan. I'm also trying to recruit one of the entrepreneurs to join a company I've funded.

I'm hoping this is just the first of many years for the competition. If you're a student entpreneur, consider entering next year. If you're an investor that reviews student-founded businesses, consider volunteering. The competition is well run and great for entrepreneurship across the state.

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Comments (2)

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very cool Dan. I almost made it up there at the last minute, but got stuck in a meeting. UMiami (yes, I'll still admit I'm a member of UMiami after this season ;-) ), has a competition similar to this every year spawning some interesting startups. I made it to the EDC event in Ft Lauderdale on Friday, where Jim was a panelist on finding capital. Florida is advancing, and showing some very promising startups. I think it just comes down to education about what's going on now- Web 2.0, new metodologies of startups on a bootstrap, social media,etc. The education has to hit everyone from the entrepreneurs to the investors to the developers to the students still in school. ahh, this state is ripe and ready to grow, but it just needs that extra jolt.

-Jason L. Baptiste

12:38 PM  
Blogger VC Dan said...

you're preaching to the choir Jason...the winds of change are blowin'

1:48 AM  

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