And the Office of Alumni Relations and Communications

Present the 2011-2012 Leeds MBA business plan competition finals

An inspiring, exciting  evening of emerging business ideas and plans awaits when you join us for this year's pitch night with the Leeds  teams that have advanced to the final competition round.

Before we watch our finalists pitch the judges and audiences, we'll kick off the festivities with a reception honoring Leeds alumni at 5:00 PM in the William M. White Business Library. Map to location

Not able to stay for the evening? Join us for the pre-pitch session during which competitors will give short business plan pitches during the reception.  Our team of alumni MCs  include: 

Lindsay Brust of Zayo | MBA '09
Marley Hodgson of Mad Greens | MBA '03
Dave Ryan of Greenspark Ventures | MBA '02

and will welcome the crowd, invite alumni to get more involved, and introduce the teams that will pitch the crowd.

The Competition Begins at 6:30 PM in Koelbel room 210. (Next door to the library's reference desk entrance.)

• Meet and network with Leeds alumni, faculty, staff and leadership, and all-star panel of judges.
• Hear ideas and plans from teams formed during the fall semester in George Deriso's and Jeff York's classes.
• Learn from the judges' questions, opinions and evaluations before they make the call on this year's big winner and runners-up.
• Text in your vote for your favorite team and tweet your comments.#Leedsbizplan
  

Competing Teams

Cocomels  |  As the only branded coconut caramel on the market, Cocomels are a dairy free, gluten free and soy free indulgence that have hooked candy lovers and health fanatics alike.

Burton HQ  |  The Burton HQ store extends Burton’s brand connection with the core snowboarder to destination resorts across the globe.

PillTracker  |  PillTrack addresses the issue of medication non‐compliance via a simple and elegant solution: A “smart”
tray for pill bottles.

Jiggle Shots  |  Jiggle Shots will be developed as a tasteful alternative to the current Gelatin-related offerings by using midrange spirits, a recipe and quality control measures to ensure the product consistently tastes good, and appealing packaging.

Panel of Judges

Jeff Schott
Mr. Schott was the Publisher of the Boulder County Business Report (BCBR) for 20 years from 1989 until he sold the company in 2008.  

Jeff invested in EarthvisionZ in 2009 and joins CEO and founder Carla Johnson as stakeholder and managing director. He brings 25 years of media and advertising experience to the Company, and is involved in helping EarthvisionZ drive its virtual earth technology to become a dominant force on the Web.

Bob Bunting

Mr. Bunting is a scientist, businessman and serial entrepreneur. He helps bring new technology/science based products into practical commercial use. Applications include earth imaging, optical computing, biotechnology and medical devices and software, to name a few.

Erick Mueller

Mueller is co-founder of Funovation which creates heart-pounding addictive attractions that require brain and brawn.  Funovation has been awarded a Top Colorado Company to Watch and a Top Boulder County Company.  

In addition, Mr. Mueller is an Adjunct Professor at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado where he’s been rated the top MBA Professor.  A few years ago, Mr. Mueller developed The Tour de Happiness, a documentary exploring happiness.   He also traveled to New Zealand and Australia, which included an appointment as Entrepreneur in Residence at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.  He graduated magna cum laude from Eastern Michigan University and holds an MBA magna cum laude from The University of Colorado at Boulder.

Rich Barone

Rich is a local entrepreneur and a 2008 dual-degree graduate with a Leeds MBA focusing on entrepreneurship and an MS in Energy Technology and Policy through the Environmental Studies program at the University of Colorado.

At CU, Barone captained the Venture Capital Investment Competition team that advanced to the international finals. His business plan team also took first place in this very competition. He also became a Kaufman Fellows finalist in 2008.

Since graduating, he has been working in the smart grid space, and as COO of Infotility, recently helping lead the company through an acquisition.

Seating is limited. Please register to attend.

Event Details

What: Appetizers, drinks, introductions, networking and four fine finalist teams fighting for the prize.

When: Tuesday, January 17, 2012.  
Reception kick-off at 5:00 PM.
Presentations begin at 6:30 PM in Koelbel 210.

Where: Reception in the William M. White Business Library
Presentations in Koelbel room 210. Map

How: Register here by Friday, January 13, 2012.

Parking: Use Lot 308 at the corner of Regent and Kittredge or Lot 436, the large Regent Drive parking structure. 

Lot 474 is a small pay lot adjacent Lot 430 and is open to the public 24/7. Flat fee applies after 5 PM.

Metered parking will be closed that night due to a sports event at Coors Center.

Always check signage for rates and details. Visitor parking info with maps.