Semifinalists selected for 2010-11 McCloskey Business Plan Competition

Twelve entrepreneurial teams will have a shot at more than $100,000 in prize money as they advance to the semifinals of the University of Notre Dame’s McCloskey Business Plan Competition.

These semifinalist teams will pitch their new ventures live before a distinguished panel of judges on April 14 (Thursday). From this group, three to five finalists will be selected to compete in the final event to be held at 1:30 p.m. on April 15 (Friday) in the Mendoza College of Business Jordan Auditorium. The April 15 presentations are open to the public.

The competition is organized by the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Mendoza College of Business. The ventures range from a patented technology for a bone substitute, to a mobile phone application that connects alumni, to wind turbines and parenting workshops.

“Feedback from our judges indicates that this is a very strong group of competitors,” said Karen Slaggert, assistant director of the Gigot Center. “During the competition, 151 judges have participated, with 70 seasoned professionals mentoring the teams as they worked hard to complete their business plans. We are extremely pleased with the great representation from our alumni, graduate and undergraduate students.”

A total of 113 teams entered the McCloskey Competition last fall; in December, 86 teams made it into the second round where they began to write their business plans. Judges for the competition include members of the IrishAngels network and other respected members of the Notre Dame entrepreneurial community.

The McCloskey Business Plan Competition semifinalists are as follows:

• Budraps, an iPod cord decorative accessory that allows iPod users to individualize and personalize their earphones

• Citrics Biomedical, a biocompatible, bioresorbable nanocomposite that can be used as a bone substitute

• Cooling Performance Apparel, apparel that cools at the optimal temperature during exercise to increase performance, endurance and safety

• EOS International, a nonprofit organization that provides rural Nicaraguan communities with low-cost technologies, such as solar energy and irrigation systems

• Green Wave, a fully-self-sufficient power system based on proprietary technology that guarantees delivery of clean, electric power to any size application

• Huddle Up, a mobile phone application that connects the next generation of alumni to each other and their alma matter

• Little Helping Hands, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and facilitating family volunteering opportunities within the Austin community

• Luzco Imaging, developer of a dye can target specific biological structures, such as tumors, to aid in early cancer detection

• Mercuri Trading, a product designed to ease communication, information organization, and the timeliness of municipal bond trading.

• No Parent Left Behind, a workshop curriculum that encourages parental involvement in home literacy activities

• Sorian Wind Technologies, optimization kits for wind-turbine blades

• Ultimate Green Technology, a technology to reduce global warming by removing carbon gas from the atmosphere and converting it into solid polymers

The McCloskey Business Plan Competition is intended for traditional entrepreneurial ventures that have not yet been launched or are at the earliest stage of launch. This is typically defined as ventures that have earned less than $500,000 in cumulative revenue, received less than $500,000 in external financing, and have been in operation for less than three years. Each team must have at least one full-time Notre Dame student or alumni member

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