Shark Tank Night Results

by Natalee Champlin

The four sharks (from Left to Right): Amy Anderson founder of Mediconnect Global, Brad Oldroyd Founder and CEO of Teamone Management Group, Paul Woodland Former CFO of Dryers Grand Ice Cream Inc., and Steve Peterson, general partner of Millrock Capital.

Wednesday night’s shark tank event was amazing. There was so much energy. The ECC auditorium was full and we had a great time with the Sharks. The results were:

$5,000 given to our top entrepreneurs

Seth Christensen founder of Christensen Genetics

• $2,000 to MBA, Danny Noall for Infuze, an inline hydration flavoring system for camelbak packs

• $1500 to Ag major, Seth Christensen for Christensen Genetics, a company that helps beef cattle producers reduce expenses and increase revenue by improving quality of cattle through artificial insemination and bull leasing

• $1000 to Engineering major, Cody Pickering for Align Boards, an aluminum skate deck design and manufacturing company

• $500 to Spencer Finch for Rental on Me, an online marketplace where users can make money by sharing their items, goods, and even services.

Spencer Finch pitching his start-up, Rental On Me, a website that allows users to connect and rent their personal belongings.

An additional $1,000 was given to the crowd favorite, based on a live text-to-vote competition. Danny Noall won. 

In addition, a few of the sharks are interested in personally investing in 2-3 of these student companies and will be meeting with them to discuss an investment deal.

But that’s not it… Amy Anderson, contributor to Forbes magazine will be writing an article about ALL four of our student entrepreneurs. This is huge! It was a tremendous night and couldn't have gone any better. 

Students in the Entrepreneur Leadership Series class gathered in the Eccles Conference Center on Wednesday April 1^st to watch four fellow classmates pitch their business ideas to angel investors in Utah State’s very own Shark Tank.

Entrepreneurship Week 2015: 10 Year Anniversary: Be an Aggie Entrepreneur

By Ashley Brasseaux

USU Campus—Monday April 6^th marks the first day of the 10^th Anniversary of Entrepreneurship Week at Utah State. It is a week full competitions, activities, and prizes for aspiring entrepreneurs and the USU student body to taste a little of what entrepreneurship is all about. Students will be invited think, create, and start their own ventures throughout the week, while those who have already been hard at work on their start-ups will have opportunities to display and share their businesses with the rest of campus. Entrepreneurship Week is a time to explore your strengths, test your courage, and discover your potential to DO something. Check out the big events and come celebrate Entrepreneurship Week with us as you discover your inner entrepreneur.

MONDAY:

STUNT JUMP ON THE QUAD

11am - 2pm

The best way to start your week is by making the jump. Jump into entrepreneurship by leaping off a 30ft platform onto a professional stunt jump bag and get a free t-shirt!  We will also be showing off Aggie entrepreneurs in a farmer’s market style expo, where you can shop around and see what student businesses have been created this year. Get a bag of free gourmet popcorn and vote for your favorite Aggie start-ups!

LET'S TACO'BOUT START-UPS! 

Bus Bldg, Room 215, 5-7pm

Learn the recipe of starting a business and brainstorm your next start-up while eating delicious tacos. The night will include an idea incubator to help students generate ideas, and workshops including: Launching your Business, Getting Started Online, and Prototyping Models of Your Product.

TUESDAY

THE GREAT ENTREPRENEURACE

TSC Skyroom, 6pm

The Great EntrepreneuRace is where your interest becomes your income. This is a 40 hour adventure challenge that pushes you and your team to get out of your comfort zone, experience entrepreneurship, and compete for $1,000. Teams of 2-5 people can register so sign up your team by Monday, April 6^th at 11:59 pm.

WEDNESDAY

HOT DOGS 

TSC Patio, 11am-2pm

Devour a delicious hot dog  while you learn about the opportunities and programs the Clark Entrepreneurship Center has to offer.  Come get a taste of the Entrepreneurship Minor, the SEED Program, the Entrepreneur Leadership Series, and opportunities to get internships with the Entrepreneur Center. There will be food, fun, and lots of great people to meet.

ENTREPRENEUR LEADERSHIP SERIES—PETER HUNTSMAN
 Bus Bldg, Room 215, 6pm

Be inspired to define your success and follow your passions.

Don't miss the chance to hear from Peter Huntsman and learn from his life experiences in business. Aggie ice cream social to follow.

THURSDAY

THE GREAT ENTREPRENEURACE - FINISH LINE

TSC Sunburst Lounges, 12pm

A literal finish line for the Great EntrepreneuRace. Competitors will receive their final assignments and await the results. Select Aggie entrepreneurs will enjoy a banquet that evening to celebrate their hard work, network with alumni entrepreneurs, Huntsman faculty, and  board members who support the Jeffrey D. Clark Center for Entrepreneurship. 

USU Students Win Five Awards at Statewide Entrepreneurship Competition

By Dr. Mike Glauser

Last Saturday night was the awards banquet for the state-wide entrepreneurship competition. We had another good year, with Utah State University winning five awards:

Best Technology Award - Cody Pickering, Align Skate Decks ($5,000)
Best Bootstrapped Award - Cody Pickering, Align Skate Decks ($2,500)
Best Social Impact Award - Spencer Finch, Rental on Me ($1,000) and Cody Pickering ($1,000)
Best Beehive Startup Award - Cody Pickering, Align Skate Decks (Donations in Kind)

Cody and Spencer, along with two other USU entrepreneurs, will compete in our Shark Tank night this coming Wednesday in the Eccles Conference Center at 6:00 pm. We have an additional $6,000 to be distributed among these four entrepreneurs. Hope you can join us. 

GoPro Marketing Competition

By Sierra Hoffer

I had no idea what to expect from my first marketing competition. I signed up anyway, thinking that this could lead to a new line on my resume, or maybe the opportunity to rub shoulders with other professionals in the marketing field. While both those things did happen, I can honestly say I am a better marketer because this is experience, and that alone is worth it.

After a great presentation from Cohen Summers, a representative from GoPro and a Huntsman School alumnus, I met the members of my group. There was a slight rush of panic when we realized how daunting the task was. What is the problem they need solved? What do I need to do?

Our first meeting was dedicated to identifying the exact problem that we needed to solve. It seemed that even after years of marketing classes, I was at a loss as to where to start. Personally, this was my biggest hurdle. If I were to give anyone advice, it would be to start at what you know. After that we then assessed the brand, created a SWOT analysis and pushed forward.

Winners left to right: Ben Vera, Bryan Groll, Jason Porter, Sierra Hoffer, Cohen Summers.

After we grasped a broad understanding of what was asked of us, it was off to work. Our group dedicated anywhere from 3 to 5 hours every day for the entire week to the project. If you are thinking of participating in a marketing case competition, understand this from the beginning: you have a hefty task in front of you, but enjoy the journey.

Our group really dived into brand personality. Anyone can project numbers to increase sales, but what we wanted to accomplish needed to be specific to GoPro. We created a great plan that embodied preparation, execution, and sustainability. This wasn't enough; we wanted to be better, different, and special. This is where understanding the brand really came into play. Our "secret" wasn't that we were smarter or had more time to dedicate, it was that we embodied GoPro's mantra, "We aren't a camera company, we are a content company". How do you implement this in the case of GoPro? You create content. Our group’s solution to GoPro's case was to create GoPro experts and have them teach others. What better way to demonstrate this then to film us (using a GoPro) teaching others how to use a GoPro?

A marketing case competition is not easy, but it will be worth it. Even without winning, I would have felt just as accomplished. You dedicate a lot of time, there is a lot of uncertainty, but it is a lot of fun. I met some outstanding marketers, and it was a great honor to work with Cohen. I am truly grateful for this experience and that I "took charge of my education." All those years of marketing classes go to waste if you are unable to practice them. I would recommend participating in a case competition to any business student, and I personally will forever seek out opportunities to challenge myself. I am extremely grateful to my team and GoPro, without whom I would not have had this experience. I am also very appreciative of the executive council of HMA and Dr. Bone for giving us students this opportunity.

Entrepreneurship Club Working to Improve Utah's Hit Rate

By Nicole VanLith

In the world of business, sales equal success.

But in a state with a sales rate that struggles, the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business is finding ways to innovate.

“Utah has one of the worst new business hit rates in the world. We launch more businesses than anyone and we have more fail than anyone,” said Ken Snyder, associate dean at the Huntsman School of Business. “We fail at a better rate than we succeed compared to other people in the world.”

As a part of Entrepreneurship Week, the Huntsman School of Business Entrepreneurship Club hosted competitions to expose students to the reality of starting a business, with the club’s primary goal being to improve the hit rate.

Snyder said the club helps students to “weed out” bad ideas before they launch — as well as think through the process — so there is a better chance at success.

Business students presented their ideas to a panel of judges consisting of Huntsman professors, alumni and staff on Thursday.
“So what that a student has a passion for a business idea? These kids need to have a passion as well as make money,” Snyder said. “This competition and the club create successful students for the business world.”

The Entrepreneurship Club helps students think through the process of starting a business and improving Utah’s hit rates. Snyder said helping students think through their ideas as well as denying, processing and evaluating all aspects of the business proposals has resulted in fewer failures.

“E-Club is all about giving students skills to start their own business, putting them in control, helping students take the next step, creating own adventures and enterprises and finding success while here at school,” said Spencer Bailey, the consulting vice president for the club. “It’s a resource to become an accomplished business student.”

Bailey was granted $20,000 from the USTAR Go-to-Market grant to generate his project, which he pitched to the panel of judges Thursday.

His idea of “Victorious Bikes” is a business envisioned to generate lighter bikes with bigger tires for rough and uneven terrain.

Other pitches submitted for judge evaluation included a lightweight tent, improved automobile insurance, a workout system and a rental website.

A Mentalist, Free Food and a Lot of Entrepreneurial Spirit

The Clark Center for Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurship Club are excited to announce that March 24 – 28 is Entrepreneurship Week! This year the E-Club and Center for Entrepreneurship have pulled out all the stops by inviting a mentalist for the kick-off event, giving out free food like it’s going out of style and awarding thousands of dollars to deserving bright minds.

MONDAY

6:00PM – TSC Ball Room

Kick-off Event – Mentalist Craig Bott

Announcement/Kickoff of the 72-Hour Competition ($1,000 in prizes)

Announcement/Registration of the Elevator Pitch Competition ($2,000 in prizes)
Entrepreneurship have pulled out all the stops by inviting a mentalist for the kick-off event, giving out free food like it’s going out of style and awarding thousands of dollars to deserving bright minds.

Mentalist Sean Bott

TUESDAY

8:00AM – 5:00PM Eccles Conference Center

Partners in Business Leadership Conference

6:00PM – TSC Skyroom

Open “Mike” Night (Free food)

The adventures of Dr. Mike Glauser

· He toured Europe in a band

· Advised the Governor of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

· He has started six successful ventures

· Has consulted dozens of companies

· Now a professor at USU!


WEDNESDAY

11:00AM – TSC Patio

Lemonade Stand Off Competition Begins ($1,000 in prizes)

11:30AM – Business Building Lobby

Come listen to competitors of the Elevator Pitch competition, pitch to the “student sharks”

6:00PM – BUS 215

Entrepreneur Leadership Speaker – Steve Bain of Simply Mac

“Building a Partnership with Apple”


THURSDAY

Founders Board Meeting – By Invite Only

Networking Dinner – By Invite Only


FRIDAY

11:30AM – USU Alumni House

Competitors Luncheon and Awards Ceremony

For all students entered in an entrepreneurship week competition, or with an Entrepreneurship Week t-shirt.