Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

Bootcamps are opportunities for students to learn hands-on from successful entrepreneurs about various aspects of planning the start and operation of their venture. Each bootcamp introduces you to a progressive building block that is important to the successful development of your business plan venture. You will also have the opportunity to meet with fellow student entrepreneurs and grow your professional network.

A Startup Feasibility Entrepreneurship Boot Camp will be presented on Friday, September 30, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the UNM SUB (Mirage/Thunderbird).  Anderson's Dr. Sul Kassicieh will discuss how an aspiring UNM student entrepreneur can determine if his or her commercial or technology-based idea is qualified to reach consumer or industry markets through repeat business. Dr. Kassicieh will lead students through a hands-on discussion on structuring a new venture that can sustain itself and be growth-oriented, or scalable. Professor Todd Quinn, UNM Business Librarian, will feature market research tools.

RSVP HERE TODAY!

Business Plan Competition Winners

L-R: Business Plan Competition Winners FormaPop and Karuna Colectiva

The University of New Mexico's Business Plan Competition strives to turn students into entrepreneurs. This year's event was notable in several respects:  not only did more sponsors contribute to the prize pool, raising the total prize amount from $75,000 to $87,000, but for the first time UNM signed a memorandum of understanding with Central New Mexico Community College, partnering with CNM to open the competition up to CNM students.

The competition runs on two tracks: technological, utilizing intellectual property developed by UNM or CNM students or from Sandia National Labs, Los Alamos National Labs, or STC.UNM; and entrepreneurial, a generalist startup competition that does not involve intellectual property. Six technological and twelve entrepreneurial teams competed for six prizes on each track.

This year's top technological prize went to FormaPop. FormaPop's team members Antonio Gutierrez, Scott McFall, and Aundre Huynh have developed an innovative baby bottle attachment that helps the mother by making feeding easier. The bottle's cap contains built-in formula storage for convenience on the go.

The top entrepreneurial prize went to Karuna Colectiva, conceived by Henry “Jake” Foreman.
Karuna Colectiva is a pop-up workshop where students work, learn, earn and apply what they learn from the Cycles of Life learning tools through market-based education.

Congratulations to all winners and participants!

Business Plan Competition Seminar

Join us for an open discussion with Mark Fidel, President of RiskSense, Inc. on successfully managing the most important financial metrics of your startup venture.

RSVP TODAY!

Silverleaf Family Farms Celebrates Solar Project

USDA Rural Development State Director Terry Brunner and Silverleaf Family Farms, LLC, invite the public to celebrate the successful completion of construction of a solar power project by Silverleaf Family Farms, using USDA Rural Development Rural Energy for America (REAP) funds.

Silverleaf Family Farms was the winner of the 2015 UNM Business Plan Competition Entrepreneurial track.

The event takes place on Thursday, October 8, at 11:00 a.m. at Silverleaf Family Farms, 358 Mountain Shadows, Corrales, 87048.

Business Plan Seminar Series

 

 

RSVP HERE TODAY!

Business Plan Competition Winners Featured In Albuquerque Journal

The Albuquerque Journal recently featured Business Plan Competition winners Mother Road Mobile Canning in an article written by Kevin Robinson-Avila. The article is reprinted below in full with the permission of The Albuquerque Journal.

Business Plan Competition Kickoff

Ever wonder what the next innovative startup out of UNM will be?

The 11th Annual UNM Business Plan Competition kicked off on Thursday, September 10 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the Jackson Student Center.

Current students across all UNM schools and colleges, including graduate, undergraduate, as well as alumni who have graduated since January 1, 2010, are eligible to compete. Teams can include an experienced partner or mentor from the business or investment community. Team registration, "Intent to Present," is open
until February 2, 2016; however, it is recommended that teams organize during fall semester in order to be well-prepared for the competition on April 8, 2016.

Please click HERE for more information.

2015 Business Plan Competition

L-R: Competition winners from Twist Resist and Silver Leaf Farms

The tenth annual Business Plan Competition was a rousing success! Twenty teams competed this year: ten in the Technology Ventures Track and ten in the Entrepreneurial Ventures Track. More than $100,000 in prizes were awarded to winning teams. Over 40 judges comprised of venture capitalists, angel investors, experienced entrepreneurs, and local business leaders participated, and more than 25 faculty and staff members assisted with the competition and awards banquet.

The winning team on the Technology Ventures Track was Twist Resist. Twist Resist is a patent pending rotational exercise machine which allows the user to target a number of areas of the muscular structure of the body previously difficult to target. The winning team on the Entrepreneurial Ventures Track was Silver Leaf Farms, a producer and distributor of premium quality hydroponic tomatoes and other vegetables for year-round sales to local high-end restaurants, grocers, and farmer's markets.

Dr. Sul Kassicieh, founder and chair of the competition, said, "As the UNM Business Plan Competition celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, we want to express our gratitude to the business community of New Mexico.  The supporters of the competition have donated over $1.5 million for this eco-system to thrive as well as many hours mentoring the teams, judging the competition and providing follow-on advice to the businesses that get started as a result.  To all of our supporters, we say 'thanks.'"

2015 Business Plan Competition

This year's Business Plan Competition takes place on Friday, March 27. Twenty student teams will be competing for a total of $75,000 in prize funding, as well as mentoring, collaboration facility access, and legal services.  Of the twenty teams, ten are competing in the Entrepreneurial Ventures Track and ten other teams will compete in the Technology Ventures Track.

The presentations will be held on Friday morning, with teams advancing to the finalist round in the afternoon, after which judges will select winning teams.  Winners of the UNM Business Plan Competition will be announced at the Awards Banquet that evening.  At the competition banquet, held at 6:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Albuquerque and emceed by John Garcia of Homebuilders Association of Central New Mexico, there will also be a finalist round of the Elevator Pitch Competition followed by dinner and the presentation of the Pitch Competition and Business Plan Competition winners.

For more information on the Business Plan Competition, click HERE. For more information and reservations, please contact Alberto Solis at 505-277-6172 or albertos@unm.edu.

Presenting Your Business Plan

How effectively do you pitch your ideas? Learn to do it better at the next Business Plan Competition Seminar! Join John Freisinger, President and CEO of Technology Ventures Corporation, for an in-depth look at developing effective skills to present your ideas to small and large audiences. 

The seminar takes place on Friday, February 6, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Anderson School of Management, Room 1017. A light breakfast will be served.

RSVP HERE! 

Business Plan Competition Seminar!

Come learn from Mark Fidel, President of CAaNES, a spin-off of New Mexico Tech founded in 2006 that provides computational intelligent security solutions against cyber threats to an organization.  Mark will share how his organization has managed financial information as a startup through its current status as a company that continues to innovate and grow.

Register here now!

ABQid/UNM Entrepreneur Bootcamp

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur? Do you want to start your own business, but aren't sure what to do? Have you heard of the Lean Startup? If not, this is a great opportunity to learn more about this low resource method to map out assumptions about your business idea and learn how to test them, to validate the existence of a market.

Join the team from ABQid and your fellow colleagues from UNM to learn the customer validation process, using the Business Model Canvas as a starting point, with experienced advice from technology entrepreneurs in the community. The format is a very interactive, discussion-style that allows for extensive interaction with the mentors.

Sign Up Here!

ABQid Chairman to Speak at UNM Business Plan Competition Seminar

Bill Bice, chairman and president of ABQid, and founder of Verge Fund, boomtime, ABQid, and ProLaw Software will speak at the UNM Business Plan Competition’s next seminar on November 14, 2014.  Bill will address how startups with technological and non-technological solutions are leveraging entrepreneurial resources and startup funds in Albuquerque to become high-growth businesses.  ABQid will also be a sponsor and judge for the 2015 UNM Business Plan Competition.  Students, Staff and Faculty will also learn about workshops and networking events to meet local entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors during Global Entrepreneurship Week, November 17-23, 2014.  Albuquerque is one of only 6 “focus cities” in the U.S. to be profiled nationally this year and host Global Entrepreneurship Week activities.

Reserve your seat by clicking HERE.  

For further details, contact Alberto Solís, Program Specialist, Center for Support of Economic Development at the Anderson School of Management, albertos@unm.edu or 277-6172.