Year End Entrepreneurship Showcase and Celebration
Arts and Humanities
Venture Showcase 2009
Every year, the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at the Eller College of Management hosts the Year End Entrepreneurship Showcase and Celebration. The McGuire Program student teams present their ventures in a venture pitch competition, and entrepreneurial achievements of business leaders and collegiate innovators are recognized.
“Entrepreneurial thinking is the cornerstone of a vibrant economy,” said Sherry Hoskinson, director of the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship. “At the McGuire Center, we work hard to advance innovation, and every spring since 1985 we have come together as a community of students, mentors, and business leaders to celebrate the year’s progress.”
The 2009 Showcase was sponsored by Grubb & Ellis and included a 3-minute Rocket Pitch by all 21 Program teams, an Awards Ceremony, and a final venture pitch competition. The event concluded with a reception.
The 2009 ventures, like past years, encompass a range of business concepts and technologies. The winning team was Verdant Earth Technologies, a manufacturer of turkey crop growth systems that are scalable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.
All student teams in the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program develop their ventures using The Idea Path®, a method that mirrors the real-world entrepreneurial process. “Students are challenged to identify a problem and craft a unique, market-driven solution to address that problem,” says Hoskinson. “Everything comes together during the final presentations – it’s a very exciting time for everyone -- the students, their mentors, and the community.”
McGuire Center Awards and Recipients
The annual Year End Entrepreneurship Showcase and Celebration is also an opportunity to recognize the outstanding contributions of community members, alumni, business leaders, and collegiate innovators. The 2009 award recipients are:
Business/Law Exchange™ Award
Paul Portney, Dean of the Eller College
Toni Massaro, Dean of the James E. Rogers College of Law
2009 Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame Inductees
Greg Coxon, Grubb & Ellis
Marie Wesselhoft, Director of the Arizona Center for Innovation
2009 Entrepreneurial Fellows
Charles and Candice Nelson, Co-founders of Sprinkles Cupcakes
2009 Technology Transfer Fellow
Stephen ONeil, The Office of Technology Transfer at The University of Arizona
Entrepreneurial Promise Award
Mark and Jacques Cook, Coronado Vineyards
For additional information, please contact us.
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