Inside VT KnowledgeWorks

VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Challenge Pitch Deadline Approaches

The 4th Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Challengewill be held on April 11, 2012 in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. The deadline for registering for both the Student Competition and the Open Competition is midnight, Friday, February 10, 2012.

An excerpt from What's Your Business Model? by Anne Giles Clelland:

I joined VT KnowledgeWorks in 2008 as an individual.  At the time, VT KnowledgeWorks was called an "incubator," a term too limiting to describe both starting and growing a company, so it's now more aptly named an "acceleration center."  However, my company, Handshake Media, Incorporated, was truly born at VT KnowledgeWorks and will celebrate its 4th year of membership in July, 2012.

Passionate by nature and eager to take full advantage of all that VT KnowledgeWorks offered - to reduce the risk of my small company failing and to increase its potential for growth - for the first three years, I participated in every single program and event at VT KnowledgeWorks. 

I have found one of the hardest parts of this entrepreneurial life to be that, having achieved mastery in another field in another life, I have entered a new field in which I am a novice. Trial-and-error learning is to be expected in any new endeavor, from dribbling a basketball to scaling an enterprise. I find the error part of this second go-round very painful. The greater the knowledge I had in my former field, the fewer errors I made. I will make fewer errors as I learn this field. But now? Ooh, they smart.

I, unapologetically, take work personally. My experience with the Entrepreneurship Challenge is, therefore, personal.  I applied to present at the first Entrepreneurship Challenge and wasn't accepted.  That smarted.  I applied and was accepted to present at the second Entrepreneurship Challenge.  At the end of my pitch, one of the angel investors on the panel had his head in his hands.  That smarted.  Still feeling terrible about that experience, I missed my first VTKW event and didn't apply to the third Entrepreneurship Challenge. 

In addition to submitting an intent to compete and a registration fee, entrants must submit a one-page summary of their business concepts. (Here's the .pdf of the guidelines for the Open Competition.)

Did I think about applying to the third Entrepreneurship Challenge?  Yes, I did.  As I had each year before, I wrote a one-page summary - this time for myself - in response to the application's prompts:

1. Please state the business concept title and all team member name(s)
2. Explain the product or service
3. Underlying technology
4. Uniqueness and/or innovation of the concept
5. Initial Customer Base for the product or service
6. Customer need met by the product or service
7. Estimate of the market size for the product or service

The deadline to enter 4th Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Challenge is tomorrow at midnight.

I am thinking of applying.

Why would I apply again?  The prizes are VT KnowledgeWorks services, which I consider invaluable and of which, therefore, I have already partaken. So it's not the prizes.

It's the audience. Who's in the audience at the VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Challenge? According to the information page, it's "individuals interested in investing in early-stage companies."  But I've been.  I know.  The panelists and members of the audience are angel investors whose funds and guidance could turn ideas for companies - my idea among them - into real companies.

I have found writing a yearly one-page summary deepens my understanding of my company and helps me see new ideas for its growth. The deadline for registering for both the Student Competition and the Open Competition is tomorrow at midnight...

See you at the 4th Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Challenge, one way - or another.

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Thanks to its sponsors, the 4th Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Challenge will be held on April 11, 2012 in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.  The Entrepreneurship Challenge is open to student entrepreneurs, technology entrepreneurs, attendees and program advertisers.  The Challenge will feature two business concept competitions, the Virginia Tech Student Business Concept Competition and the Open Competition.

Registration for attendees is open.

Please see more about the Fourth Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Challenge.

Please see highlights of Entrepreneurship events on Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters are located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

You're invited to keep in-the-know about VT KnowledgeWorks on Facebook and Twitter.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Virginia Tech Students Invited to Enter VT Student Business Concept Competition

The Grand Prize Winner of the Virginia Tech Student Business Concept Competition will receive $10,000 in scholarships and qualifies for the 2012 VT KnowledgeWorks Global Student Challenge, a week-long, expense-paid celebration of student entrepreneurship with a $25,000 grand prize.

Registration is $25 and due by midnight of February 10, 2012.

Apply to compete, read guidelines, note deadlines.

The Virginia Tech Student Business Concept Competition is a component of the Fourth Annual Entrepreneurship Challenge, custom-designed for prospective company founders, entrepreneurs launching or re-vamping a business, growing companies seeking expansion capital, and individuals interested in investing in early-stage companies.  The Entrepreneurship Challenge will be held on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at the Skelton Conference Center at The Inn at Virginia Tech.

The Entrepreneurship Challenge will feature two business concept competitions, the Virginia Tech Student Business Concept Competition and the Open Competition.  Registration for audience members will open soon.

Please see more about the Fourth Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Challenge.

Please see highlights of Entrepreneurship events on Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.

The Virginia Tech Student Business Concept Competition banner graphic is on display at Koofers, a member of the VT KnowledgeWorks Alumni.

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Fourth Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Challenge Announced

VT KnowledgeWorks presents the Fourth Annual Entrepreneurship Challenge, custom-designed for prospective company founders, entrepreneurs launching or re-vamping a business, growing companies seeking expansion capital, and individuals interested in investing in early-stage companies.  The Entrepreneurship Challenge will be held on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at the Skelton Conference Center at The Inn at Virginia Tech.

Please join us for two business concept competitions as Virginia Tech students and entrepreneurs compete for prizes. Virginia Tech student teams compete for $10,000 in scholarships and the opportunity to compete on a world stage in August, 2012 for the $25,000 VT KnowledgeWorks Global Challenge Award. There will also be an Open Business Concept Competition in which entrepreneurs will compete for a custom suite of start-up services.

Please see more about the Fourth Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Challenge.

Please see highlights of Entrepreneurship events on Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.

Please click the image for a larger view. 

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

VT KnowledgeWorks Third Annual Entrepreneurship Summit a Resounding Success

From VT KnowledgeWorks:

The VT KnowledgeWorks Third Annual Entrepreneurship Summit was a resounding success as enthusiastic attendees gathered at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center on April 13 and 14, 2011.  The Entrepreneurship Summit provided a unique opportunity for student teams from Virginia Tech, Wake Forest University, Appalachian State University, and the University of Virginia to present before a panel of faculty and local business leaders. 

The Summit began with a keynote address by Z. Kelly Queijo, Founder and President of Smart College Visit, Inc.  As winner of the Second Annual Entrepreneurship Summit’s Open Competition in 2010, Queijo provided fresh inspiration to those in attendance by sharing her start-up experiences during the past year.

The winning concept in the Virginia Tech Student Business Concept Competition was Lujure, a company that provides an easy-to-use drag-and-drop platform that empowers everyone to create Facebook fan pages.  Team members Nathan Lujure, Brian Putt, and Josh Gunter won $5,000 in cash and summer work space at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.  Aerus, Juce Powered Bags, Kiwee Stroller Company, and PodSend also competed for the grand prize.

The winning concept in the Regional Student Business Concept Competition was Kera10, a proposed cosmetics spin-out from regenerative bio-materials company KN LLC.  Afton Vechery of Wake Forest University also won $5,000 in cash and summer work space at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.  Other teams that competed for the grand prize were Closed Loop Energy, LLC and Dear Career, both from Appalachian State University, and Masalah from the University of Virginia.

Also, winning teams of the Virginia Tech and Regional Student Business Concept Competitions will advance to the VT KnowledgeWorks Global Student Business Concept Challenge and compete for the $25,000 grand prize on August 25, 2011, at the Dumas Center, Roanoke, Virginia.  The Global Student Challenge is part of the VT Knowledge Works Global Partnership Week, which offers university students, faculty, and business professionals from all over the world a chance to collaborate, form partnerships and interact on a completely unique and exciting level.

Opening the second day, Bob Reiss, author of Bootstrapping 101 and Low Risk High Reward, shared his experiences in creative early-stage financing.  The BB&T/Pamplin Speaker, Greg Ip, U.S. Economics Editor of The Economist, followed Reiss.  Ip’s topic was The Post-Crisis American Economy.  He is the author of The Little Book of Economics: How the Economy Works in the Real World.

The event concluded on April 14 with the Open Angel Forum, moderated by Ken Maready, corporate attorney for Hutchison Law Group, and Webb Burns, Vice President of Business Development at Meridium.  The Open Angel Forum provided a unique opportunity for company founders of eBroselow, Heyo, Nicus Software, Inc., and ReviewHounds to present investment requests to a panel of potential investors. 

The event sponsors for the Third Annual Entrepreneurship Summit included CIT, LeClairRyan, and Hutchison Law Group.

You're invited to read the three-year story of the VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit on Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.  The Fourth Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit will be held in 2012.

If you attended the Third Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit, we would love to hear what you thought of our event. We will use all of your feedback, comments, and suggestions for improving and developing next year's event. Please take a minute to complete our very brief survey.

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a self-sustaining not-for-profit subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual.  Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Exhibit at the VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit’s Technology Showcase

From Christine Pushaw, Member Services Coordinator, VT KnowledgeWorks:

Would you like to feature your business at the Third Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit’s Technology Showcase?  This year’s Technology Showcase will take place on April 13, 2011 from noon to 1:15 p.m. at The Inn at Virginia Tech. 
 
The Showcase offers exhibitors the opportunity to feature their innovative technologies, research developments, and businesses to an audience of investors, researchers, business professionals, scientists, and students.

The Showcase also provides an open, informal “village market” where exhibitors and attendees can learn more about each other and discuss sales, marketing and distribution alliances, partnerships, joint research opportunities, employment, and investment possibilities. We hope you will exhibit this year! 

If you’re interested, please feel free to email me, Christine.Pushaw@vtknowledgeworks.com, to call 540-443-9100 x3 to discuss it with me further, or to check out our website for details and pricing. The deadline to purchase exhibit space is April 6, 2011.

Christine Pushaw
Member Services Coordinator
VT KnowledgeWorks

Register for the Third Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit

You're invited to read the announcement of the Summit, read more about the Summit, register for the Summit, learn about the Student Competition, feature your company or organization in the Technology Showcase, find out about the Angel Funding Sessions, view the Summit's sponsors, and see information on  last year's Second Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit.  You can read the latest news and the history of the VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit on Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a self-sustaining not-for-profit subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual.  Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Student Business Concept Competitions Finalists Announced for Third Annual Entrepreneurship Summit

VT KnowledgeWorks is pleased to announce the finalists in the two Student Business Concept Competitions to be held on April 13, 2011 in conjunction with the Third Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit at The Inn at Virginia Tech.  The nine finalist student teams will present their business concepts before a panel of angel investors and business leaders, as well as Summit attendees.  Participants in the Student Competition represent colleges and universities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and western North Carolina. 

The winning teams in both the Virginia Tech and Regional Student Competitions receive a $5,000 cash prize and workspace provided in the VT Corporate Research Center for summer 2011.  Both first place teams also qualify to compete in the 2011 VT KnowledgeWorks Global Student Challenge for which the team will receive a week-long, expense-paid celebration of student entrepreneurship and may win the $25,000 grand prize.

The finalist student teams from Virginia Tech will present their business concepts at 9:30 a.m. on April 13, including Aerus, Juce Powered Bags, Kiwee Stroller Company, Lujure, and PodShare.  Finalists of the Regional Student Competition will present their business concepts at 1:30 p.m., including Closed Loop Energy, LLC, Dear Career, Kera10, and Masalah.  Here's the full schedule for both days. 

The competition encourages students to develop their entrepreneurial ideas, enhances their understanding of the requirements for a successful business venture, and showcases the creativity of students in Virginia and western North Carolina.

Another key component of the Entrepreneurship Summit is the Open Angel Forum to be held on April 14.  Four companies have been selected to present, including eBroselow, Nicus Software, ReviewHounds, and Heyo.  They will pitch before a panel of Directors from PAN, CIT Gap, Third Security, and 460 Angels, plus event attendees.  Last year, three out of the five companies that presented were funded within 90 days.

Because of the generous sponsorship of LeClairRyan, CIT, and Hutchison Law Group, the fees for this two-day event including workshops, competitions, luncheon, and seminars are only $30 for April 13 and $50 for April 14. 

Register for the Third Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit

You're invited to read the announcement of the Summit, read more about the Summit, register for the Summit, learn about the Student Competition, feature your company or organization in the Technology Showcase, find out about the Angel Funding Sessions, view the Summit's sponsors, and see information on  last year's Second Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit.  You can read the latest news and the history of the VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit on Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.

Questions? Please contact Christine Pushaw, christine.pushaw@vtknowledgeworks.com

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a self-sustaining not-for-profit subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual.  Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Attend, Exhibit, Advertise at VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit

VT KnowledgeWorks, a regional business acceleration center that helps companies bring ideas to market, is excited to present the Third Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit on April 13-14, 2011, at The Inn at Virginia Tech & Skelton Conference Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.  This two-day informative workshop is designed for prospective company founders, entrepreneurs launching or re-vamping a business, and growing companies seeking expansion capital. 

Attend - Exhibit - Advertise

Read the announcement of the Summit, read more about the Summit, register for the Summit, learn about the Student Competition, feature your company in the Technology Showcase, find out about the Angel Funding Sessions, view the Summit's sponsors, and see last year's Second Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit.

Read the latest news and the history of the VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit on Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.

Questions? Please contact Christine Pushaw, christine.pushaw@vtknowledgeworks.com

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a self-sustaining not-for-profit subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual.  Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Announcing the Third Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit

The Third Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit will be held on April 13 - 14, 2011, at The Inn at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Please join us for this two-day informative workshop designed for prospective company founders, entrepreneurs launching or re-vamping a business and growing companies seeking expansion capital.

Student teams compete for two $5,000 grand prizes and the opportunity to compete on a world stage in August, 2011 for the $25,000 VT KnowledgeWorks Global Challenge Award.  Outstanding speakers will provide new perspectives on early-stage funding, global economics, and regional growth.  And the Open Angel Forum, presented by the NCTC Access to Capital Committee, features a live pitch session, providing a unique opportunity to see how raising capital is done, with real companies and investors. 

Wednesday, April 13

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Registration and Welcome Breakfast
9:00 – 9:15 a.m. Welcome Address
9:30 – 11:45 a.m. Virginia Tech Student Business Concept Competition
12:00 – 1:15 p.m. Technology Showcase and Lunch Buffet
1:30 – 3:45 p.m. Regional Student Business Concept Competition
4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Networking Reception and Student Awards Presentation

Thursday, April 14

8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Registration and Networking Breakfast
8:30 – 10:30 a.m. Bob Reiss, author of Bootstrapping 101
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. BB&T/Pamplin Speaker Series presents Greg Ip, author of The Little Book of Economics: How the Economy Works in the Real World (Little Books. Big Profits)
12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Lunch Buffet and Keynote Address Presented by Michael Drzal, LeClairRyan, Building a Regional Economy on Innovative Technologies
1:30 – 4:15 p.m. Open Angel Forum
4:30 p.m. Closing comments

Read more about the Summit, register for the Summit, learn about the Student Competition, feature your company in the Technology Showcase, find out about the Angel Funding Sessions, view the Summit's sponsors, and see last year's Second Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit.

Read the latest news and the history of the VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit on Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.

Questions? Please contact Christine Pushaw, christine.pushaw@vtknowledgeworks.com

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VT KnowledgeWorks is a unique growth enhancement program open to entrepreneurs in the New River Valley and beyond.  Acceleration center and incubation facilities are located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.  Programs for Members are divided into two categories according to the evolutionary status of the member company.  Pre-Launch program components are carefully constructed to help market-worthy ventures organize, formulate strategy, obtain outside investment, and launch in an efficient manner.  Enterprise class members benefit from emphasis on strategic support for ongoing growth, continuing intra-preneurship, and professional development for the corporate leader.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit a Resounding Success

From VT KnowledgeWorks:

The Second Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit was a resounding success as 230 enthusiastic attendees gathered at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center on April 7 and 8, 2010.   The Summit provided a unique opportunity for five student teams, five start-up companies, and five ready-to-fund businesses to present before panels of regional business leaders and investors. 

The Summit began with an inspirational keynote address by Pat Matthews, VP of Cloud Computing at Rackspace.  Matthews relived some of the lessons learned throughout his entrepreneurial journey from college to co-founding Webmail.us, and on to its sale to Rackspace.  He spoke passionately about the importance of commitment, focus, and mentors, trusting instincts, learning from failures, and pursuing your passions. 

The winning concept in the Student Business Concept Competition was Pattonslist.com, an online classified website and network for members of the military and their families to buy and sell property and goods. The co-founders, Steven Cunningham and Mike Fallon from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia won $5,000 in cash and summer work space at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.  The two runner-up teams receiving $2,500 in cash were mapMonkeys from Virginia Tech, a multimedia platform for gamers, and Nomuda Games from University of Virginia, providing story-based games for mobile platforms.

Kelly Queijo of Smart College Visit, Inc. earned first place in the Open Business Concept Competition for her venture - a travel planning website and blog for college students, their families, and anyone seeking information about visiting college campuses.  Queijo won business acceleration services at VT KnowledgeWorks and workspace in the VT Corporate Research Center this summer.  Other entrepreneurs that presented in the Open Competition were Anne Giles Clelland of Handshake 2.0, Fred Cook of Actifity.com, Amjad Hussein of CollabKode, and Bob Giles of RRx. 

John May, Managing Partner of the New Vantage Group, presented a session on the Valuation of Early-Stage Ventures at 9:30 a.m. on April 8. May discussed the various valuation methods, key characteristics of good capital access planning, the importance of alignment and communication, and important factors related to exit planning.  Over the past 20 years, May has been an advisor to, or a general partner in, five early-stage venture capital funds, and is the co-author of Every Business Needs an Angel (Crown Business: 2001).

The event concluded on April 8 with the Open Angel Forum, moderated by Bob Summers, CEO and co-founder of EnergyWare and Ken Maready, corporate attorney at the Hutchison Law Group. The Open Angel Forum was a live pitch session providing a unique opportunity for company founders of 3D-4U, Inc., RRx, LimbGear, Actifity.com, and NewCityLabs to present their cases for angel investment in front of a panel of business leaders and investors. 

The event sponsors for the Second Annual Entrepreneurship Summit included LeClairRyan, Synchrony, and SunTrust Bank.

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VT KnowledgeWorks is a unique growth enhancement program open to entrepreneurs in the New River Valley and beyond.  Acceleration center and incubation facilities are located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.  Programs for Members are divided into two categories according to the evolutionary status of the member company.  Pre-Launch program components are carefully constructed to help market-worthy ventures organize, formulate strategy, obtain outside investment, and launch in an efficient manner.  Enterprise class members benefit from emphasis on strategic support for ongoing growth, continuing intra-preneurship, and professional development for the corporate leader.

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VT KnowledgeWorks has announced a Global Student Business Concept Challenge, August 29 - September 4, 2010, in Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia, USA.  The Challenge celebrates the energy and ingenuity of university students and their important contributions to the future of our global economy.  The name of the winning team, their university name, and their home city will be etched into the base of the VT KnowledgeWorks Global Challenge Trophy as a permanent tribute to their outstanding effort.  The winning team will earn a $25,000 cash prize.

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VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

SmartCollegeVisit Wins Business Concept Competition

This post first appeared on Handshake 2.0.

Having the smarts to see a market need and the idea to fill it, Z. Kelly Queijo did what entrepreneurs do best.  She started a company.

Five months after launch, it’s a prize-winning company.

The panel of angel investors and business experts judging the Open Business Concept Competition at the second annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit applauded Quiejo’s smarts and can-do and awarded her company, Smart College Visit, Inc., first place on April 7, 2010. 

Queijo's first place prize includes a suite of business acceleration services at VT KnowledgeWorks.

"It's an honor to win the Business Concept award," Queijo said. "I'm looking forward to having access to the high level of business expertise VT KnowledgeWorks offers."

Smart College Visit, Inc.’s first enterprise is SmartCollegeVisit, a college travel planning and resource site for college-bound students and their families.

One of the most-visited features on SmartCollegeVisit is Smart See, Smart Do, a free service offered to colleges and universities which showcases their answers to this college visit question:  "What is the one thing to do, or place to see, that you don't want prospective college students and their families to miss when visiting campus?"  The current list of colleges featured on Smart See, Smart Do includes more than a dozen schools.

Given they're on an award-winning site, those are smart colleges.

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Entrepreneurs pitch business ideas, an article by Sarah Watson for The Roanoke Times, provides excellent coverage of the two-day Business Concept Competitions at the VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit.

Photo credit: Shirley Gillispie

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VT KnowledgeWorks has announced a Global Student Business Concept Challenge, August 29 - September 4, 2010, in Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia, USA.  The Challenge celebrates the energy and ingenuity of university students and their important contributions to the future of our global economy.  The name of the winning team, their university name, and their home city will be etched into the base of the VT KnowledgeWorks Global Challenge Trophy as a permanent tribute to their outstanding effort.  The winning team will earn a $25,000 cash prize.

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VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, Latimer, Mayberry & Matthews IP Law, LeClairRyan, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).