Business plan competition winners announced

A plan to recycle medical equipment to cut health care costs and a venture that develops software to make wireless communication devices compatible both won top prizes of $10,000 as part of two annual entrepreneurial business plan competitions held recently at the University of Notre Dame.

RFware won the eighth Annual McCloskey Business Plan Competition, which is intended for traditional entrepreneurial ventures that have not yet been launched or are at the earliest stages of being launched. Team members include Brian Dunn, an electrical engineering graduate student, and J. Nicholas Laneman, an assistant professor of electrical engineering.

The venture developed technology that makes possible a new generation of electronic communication devices that can be adapted to almost any current and future wireless protocol with a simple software upgrade.  Such technology will immediately benefit the armed forces as well as local police, fire, and emergency management departments, which all have struggled for decades with incompatible communication devices.

MedXcycle won the seventh Annual Sustainable Social Venture Plan Competition, which is an opportunity to combine entrepreneurship with a social mission or purpose. MedXcycle members include Sheila Powenski, Anita Allen, Brad Annis, Heather Annis, Brendan Cooper, Edward Powers, Chris Wittman and Chris Ziener, all 2009 master of business administration candidates. The venture will sell recycled medical supplies and equipment at a fraction of original cost to help provide better health care to people globally.

Both competitions are sponsored by the Notre Dame’s Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in the Mendoza College of Business.

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