COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. Budding entrepreneurs at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs were recently awarded more than $5,500 in prizes they can use to turn their ideas into reality.
Six teams competed for the cash awards with three winners selected by a panel of business leaders and university faculty April 29.
The event required student teams to work together and present their ideas in a formal business plan. Team members represented various majors offered at the university including, business, English, engineering, fine arts, and psychology. The teams spent 12 weeks developing plans that were formally presented to a panel of judges.
First place went to Vovo Riche, a newspaper and website combining news and entertainment geared toward high school and college students. Team members were: Tessa Nelson, Littleton senior; Eric Rivera, Colorado Springs senior; Marc Knutila, Albuquerque freshman; and Sean Voorhies, Monument senior. They received $2,500.
Second place went to Rxel, a specialized cell phone service. Team members were: Lan Le, Colorado Springs senior; Phil Gurule, Pueblo senior; Jonathan George, Monument senior; Mark Bibb, Florissant graduate student. They received $1,500.
Third place went to DeLancey Communications, a wireless Internet service that allowed access from anywhere within the Denver metro area. Team members were: Stephen Joos, Colorado Springs junior; Eric Schmitt, Colorado Springs junior; Kimberly Lackey, Lakewood sophomore. They received $1,000.
Ben Martz, associate professor, Business, and co-director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, said:
“Students who push themselves to participate in these activities will have a better, well-rounded education. There will always be jobs for those students who can imagine an idea, follow through on developing that idea, and communicating the essence of that idea.”
The Petritz Foundation, Colorado Springs, sponsored the contest in cooperation with the Center for Entrepreneurship and the UCCS Students in Free Enterprise team. The foundation provided the prize monies and collaborated with faculty to develop the contest.
UCCS, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls about 7,800 students