|
Friday, January 22, 2010
Current Motor Company Wins $5000 Top Prize At Business-Plan Competition
|
| ANN ARBOR – Current Motor Company, an Ann Arbor-based company that designs and manufactures electric motorcycles and scooters, won the top prize Thursday night in the Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest business-plan competition and a cash prize of $5000 in the Emerging Business category.
The winner of the New Business Category was Global Energy Innovations, a Flint-based Kettering University spin-out that commercializes technology to accelerate the transition to the hydrogen and fuel-cell economy. GEI won $2000.
More than 175 Michigan-based entrepreneurial ventures were registered for the competition, which attracts a wide-range of innovation-base businesses in fields such as alternative energy, information technology and software, advanced manufacturing, homeland security, medical devices and life sciences. The competition's twice-annual, two-track program accommodates both idea-stage ventures and companies with up to $3 million in cumulative sales.
The Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award was presented to Loretta Cipkus Dubray, president and CEO of Kalamazoo-based Global Clinical Connections, for her tenacity in building her business and in recognition of her commitment to "have a plan and work the plan."
The Coach Recognition Award was presented to Kenneth Kousky, Dow Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Saginaw Valley State University, for his work with three entrepreneurs in the competition and for engaging university students in Michigan’s entrepreneurial community.
Winning ventures were selected by 85 volunteer judges, including venture capitalists; angel investors; university-based tech transfer, engineering and business staff; and economic and business development professionals.
The awards were presented by Diane Durance, Executive Director, GLEQ; Jack Ahrens, Managing Partner, TGap Ventures, and Chairman of the GLEQ Board of Directors; and Michelle Crumm, Chief Financial Officer, Adaptive Materials, Inc. and Treasurer of the GLEQ Board of Directors. Adaptive Materials, Inc. was the Grand Prize winner in the 2003 GLEQ Business Plan Competition.
Other winners named Thursday night at the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship include:
Emerging Company Category:
Second Place Award - $2,500. RealKidz, Inc. Represented by president, Merrill Guerra, Ypsilanti-based RealKidz addresses the issue of childhood obesity by offering plus-size clothing to young teens and a social network of support and information for parents.
Third Place Award - $1,500. White Pine Systems, LLC, doing business as SPINN. Represented by president and CEO, Douglas Dormer, Ann Arbor-based SPINN provides a internet-based personal health records system to securely store, manage and communicate personal health information.
Other award winners in the New Business Ideas category are:
Second Place Award - $1,000. Nalu Solar Tools. Represented by president, Jennifer McLaughlin, Ypsilanti-based Nalu Solar Tools provides web-based software offering operational support to photovoltaic contractors.
Third Place Award - $500. Ix Innovations/Pocket Pico. Represented by COO, Greg Marek, and CEO, Ian Dailey, Ann Arbor-based iXInnovations produces a portable electronic instrument called the Pocket Pico for use in developing low power devices.
The GLEQ competition is open to all Michigan entrepreneurs that register to participate by March 5, but selection to compete for the SmartZone Award requires a SmartZone sponsor. Business plans are due April 23 for the SmartZone Award and May 7 for the New Business Idea and Emerging Company categories. Top prizes are: $5,000 in New Business Idea, $25,000 in Emerging Company and now the $100,000 pre-seed investment in the SmartZone Award category.
For more information, click on GLEQ.Org
|
Author: Staff Writer
Source:
MITechNews.Com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
