The George Washington University and the GW Office of Entrepreneurship are pleased to invite you to the 2011 $50K GW Business Plan Competition Finals!   Our university's namesake, George Washington, was one of America's first great entrepreneurs. At GW, we honor his bold business leadership by showcasing the university's commitment to providing the resources for future... [read more]

  The George Washington University and the GW Office of Entrepreneurship are pleased to invite you to the 2011 $50K GW Business Plan Competition Finals!   Our university's namesake, George Washington, was one of America's first great entrepreneurs. At GW, we honor his bold business leadership by showcasing the university's commitment to providing the resources for future entrepreneurs to learn from current ones. Thus, the GW Business Plan Competition, with founding sponsorship from Annette and Richard Scott, awards $50,000 in cash prizes to teams of GW students, faculty, and alumni who can offer innovative ideas for new products and/or services. THE BizPlanComp FINALS:   The GW Business Plan Competition Finals are the two-day culmination of an academic-year-long series of educational events and active mentorship on new venture creation. A record of 112 GW teams entered this year’s competition, and only 8 made it to the GW Business Plan Competition Finals! These 8 semi-finalists will present their business plans and ideas to a panel of distinguished entrepreneurs and venture capital investors, affiliated with the university. Only 4 finalists will be selected to receive the grand prizes.   SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY, 4/14:   11:30AM - 1:00PM:                         General Networking Lunch                                                Duques Hall, 6th Floor (650)                                                * Opening Remarks: John Rollins, Director, GW BizPlanComp, and Jim Chung, Director, Office of Entrepreneurship   1:15PM - 5:30PM:                     Semi-Final Presentations                                                Duques Hall 651 & 652                                                *Moderator: John Rollins, Director, GW BizPlanComp   5:30PM - 7:30PM:                            Networking Reception & Announcement of Finalists                                                Entrepreneurship Achievement Award Presentation                                                Duques Hall, 6th Floor (650)                                                *For the reception, please RSVP at                                                 http://tinyurl.com/bpcReception   This year's GW BizPlanComp Networking reception will also include the presentation of the Annual Entrepreneurship Achievement Award. The Annual Entrepreneurship Achievement Award is traditionally given for distinguished entrepreneurial achievements to a successful GW entrepreneur whose accomplishments inspire and motivate our aspiring entrepreneurs. The 2011 Award recipient is Edward R. Barrientos, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Brazen Careerist, a career-focused social networking site targeting Gen Y. Mr. Barrientos is also Managing Partner of Zeitgeist Holdings, LLC, an angel investment firm focused on investing in early stage technology companies. From 1996 to 2005, Edward was Presindet and CEO of Arc Second, Inc., a high-growth market leader in the field of laser-based, high-precision GPS. Barrientos led Arc Second to a successful exit (acquired by Metris NV of Belgium) at the end of 2005. He sat on the Board of Directors of Metris NV and worked as an active Board member through the company's IPO (2006) and its acquisition by Nikon (Japan) in 2009.   SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY, 4/15:   8:00AM - 9:00AM:                          Networking Breakfast                                               Duques Hall, 6th Floor (650)   9:00AM - 11:15PM:                        Final Presentations                                               Duques Hall 651 & 652                                               *Moderator: John Rollins, Director, GW BizPlanComp   11:15AM - 12:00PM:                 Awards Announcement                                                Duques Hall 651 & 652                                                *The awards will be presented by founding sponsor, Mrs. Annette Scott, and her daughter, Ms. Allison Guimard. First Lady Annette Scott has been married to newly elected Florida Governor Rick Scott for 38 years. High school sweethearts, they have two married daughters, Allison and Jordan. Mrs. Scott believes in family, strong values, and the power of a good education. As First Lady, she enjoys visiting schools across the state of Florida to read to children, talk about literacy, and support childhood health and nutrition. She also believes in the importance of community involvement. That is what the Scotts taught their daughters and that is what they believe is important for the future of Florida. Throughout their lives, Governor and Mrs. Scott have supported the Salvation Army, The United Way, the Naples Zoo, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, World Vision, and other organizations locally and around the world. Mrs. Scott enjoys interior design and has a degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.  Governor and Mrs. Scott are also founding sponsors of the GW Business Plan Competition. Allison Guimard has a wide assortment of marketing and business development experience. She currently serves as the Vice President of Business and Marketing for Harris Media, LLC, a nationally accliamed media and communications firm with clients in 11 states. Prior to working at Harris Media, LLC, Allison served as the Retail & eCommerce Specialist for INgage Networks, working with large enterprises to implement social software into their corporations. Prior to that, Allison founded Alijor.com, an Internet healthcare company that enabled patients to choose doctors based on price. She sold Alijor.com to HealthGrades, LLC, in 2009. Allison also dabbled in fashion design (a passion of hers), launching her own fashion line in 2009. Allison acquired her B.B.A. from the George Washington University, graduating in 2005.   12:00PM - 2:00PM:                     Awards and Networking Lunch                                                 Duques Hall, 6th Floor and 650 CORPORATE SPONSORS:             MEDIA SPONSOR:   INTERNAL SPONSORS: