Harvard Business School Names Winners and Celebrates 20th New Venture Competition at Finale
BOSTON, April 26, 2017—Amid the bright lights, music, and glitter in Harvard Business School’s Burden auditorium yesterday afternoon, student and alumni entrepreneurs came out in force to compete in the grand Finale of the 20th annual HBS New Venture Competition (NVC). Pitching before a group of distinguished judges, many of them HBS graduates, the participants were competing for awards totaling more than $300,000 in cash, along with in-kind prizes. To mark the anniversary of the NVC, the event also included a reunion of many past participants as well as a discussion featuring the Competition’s student cofounders and its first faculty advisor, Professor William Sahlman (MBA 1975). Hosted each year by the School’s Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship and its Social Enterprise Initiative, the Harvard Business School New Venture Competition is open to all students and alumni interested in launching new business and social impact ventures. This year, 283 teams entered the competition--63 in the Student Business Track, 49 in the Student Social Enterprise Track, and 171 team from 30 countries in the Alumni Track. This year's winners are: Student Business Track The Dubilier $75,000 Grand Prize: Veho, which aims to replace large delivery trucks with a platform that enables anyone to deliver packages in his or her car. Team: Itamar Zur (MBA 2017), Matt Graham (MBA 2017), Keith Cheong (MBA 2018) Satchu-Burgstone $25,000 Runner-Up Prize: CozyKin, which helps working parents seeking infant childcare by pairing families so that they can share in-home Montessori care offered by the new venture’s network of technology-enabled nannies. Team: Jeremy Au (MBA 2018) $5,000 Crowd Favorite Prize: CozyKin Student Social Enterprise Track Peter M. Sacerdote $75,000 Grand Prize: Flare, which is reinventing personal security by creating technology-enabled safety devices for women. Team: Quinn Fitzgerald (MBA 2017), Sara de Zarraga (MBA 2017) Peter M. Sacerdote $25,000 Runner-Up Prize: Juva Therapy, which effectively connects mental health patients to providers best suited to their needs. Team: Stephanie Tong (MBA 2018), Qian Qian Tang, (MBA 2018) $5,000 Crowd Favorite Prize: Juva Therapy Alumni Track $75,000 Grand Prize: Apli, a Mexican talent agency that delivers qualified on-demand workers in 24 hours. Alumna: Vera Makarov (MBA 2010), Region: Latin America $25,000 Runner-Up: Vention, a platform that allows businesses to design and order custom manufacturing equipment online via 3-D printing, with delivery in three days instead of several months. Alumnus: Etienne Lacroix (MBA 2011), Region: Canada $5,000 Crowd Favorite Prize: Apli Other finalists presenting at the Finale were: Student Business Track ADay Technologies: A digital matching firm that provides employers with an adaptable workforce. Team: Rakheem Morris (MBA 2018), Michael Chalhoub (MBA 2017) Giovanni Conserva, Madeline Chapin, Jonathan Xu Exero Labs (formerly Impact Labs): A venture that is developing and producing add-ons for football and other helmets to reduce damaging impact forces to the brain. Team: Ben Rizzo (MBA 2017), Alec Williams (MBA 2017), Tyler Biddix (MBA 2017), Kari O’Neil (MBA 2017), Brian Powers (MBA 2017) Student Social Enterprise Track hour72+ Insect Repellent: Its bug spray technology lasts three to five days, rather than hours, and will improve the health of millions globally. Team: Andrew Rothaus (MBA 2018), Abraar Karan (Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health), Kenneth Rothaus, Mike Milbocker Mozambique School Lunch Initiative: MSLI links agricultural investment with school lunch programs in hopes that no child in Mozambique will go hungry. Team: Cara Myers (Harvard Kennedy School), Raphael Awuku (Harvard Kennedy School), Roberto Mutisse Alumni Track FreeFlow Medical Devices LLC: A maker of medical devices that solve blood clotting, clogging, and infection issues for patients. Alumnus: Andrew Jones (MBA 1997), Region: Mid-Atlantic US Pawame: A new enterprise that makes solar energy affordable in Africa through a microfinance approach using mobile payments. Alumnus: Alexandre Skander Allegue (PLDA 18, 2015), Region: Africa “The New Venture Competition is the capstone event for HBS entrepreneurs,” said Jodi Gernon (MBA 1991), director of the Arthur Rock Center. “Since its inception in 1997, nearly 5,000 people have participated.” “It is the culmination of a year-long journey that began last October,” added Matt Segneri (MBA 2010), director of the School’s Social Enterprise Initiative. “The NVC’s Social Enterprise Track is 'One Harvard' at its best, since it is open to graduate students across the entire University, while the Alumni Track is an international exposition of entrepreneurial talents.” Director of Alumni Clubs & Associations Mary-Helen Black thanked faculty, judges, and sponsors for their help, support, and encouragement. About The Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship: The Rock Center was made possible by the extraordinary generosity and vision of pioneering venture capitalist, Arthur Rock, MBA 1951. In 2003, Arthur Rock donated $25 million to support HBS faculty and their research in the field of entrepreneurial management and to galvanize our community with the energy and spirit for what’s next. Through a community of support, access to valuable content, and a gateway to entrepreneurial ecosystems everywhere, we help HBS students and alumni create ventures that revolutionize. Learn more at www.hbs.edu/entrepreneurship or @HBSRock. About the Social Enterprise Initiative: HBS pioneered the concept of “social enterprise” with the founding of its Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) in 1993. With founding support from the John C. Whitehead Fund, SEI applies innovative business practices and managerial disciplines to drive sustained, high-impact social change. It’s grounded in the mission of Harvard Business School and aims to educate, support, and inspire leaders across all sectors to tackle society’s toughest challenges and make a difference in the world. Learn more at www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise or @HBSSEI. |
Jim Aisner
jaisner+hbs.edu
617-495-6157
Christian Camerota
ccamerota+hbs.edu
617-495-6931
About Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School, located on a 40-acre campus in Boston, was founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University. It is among the world's most trusted sources of management education and thought leadership. For more than a century, the School's faculty has combined a passion for teaching with rigorous research conducted alongside practitioners at world-leading organizations to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. Through a dynamic ecosystem of research, learning, and entrepreneurship that includes MBA, Doctoral, Executive Education, and Online programs, as well as numerous initiatives, centers, institutes, and labs, Harvard Business School fosters bold new ideas and collaborative learning networks that shape the future of business.