1,000 Pitches award-winners to be announced at ceremony

December 4, 2008
Contact:

DATES: 6:30-9:30 p.m., Dec. 10, 2008.

EVENT: An awards ceremony to announce the winners of the 1,000 Pitches competition, a cross-campus effort to generate business ideas organized by the College of Engineering’s Center for Entrepreneurship and the MPowered Entrepreneurship student group.

The keynote speaker will be Rich Sheridan, CEO of Ann Arbor-based Menlo Innovation, a custom software developer. Sheridan, a University of Michigan alumnus, has been featured on the cover of Forbes magazine.

The 1,000 Pitches competition started in September and exceeded its goal, generating 1,044 pitches for businesses, inventions and non-profit organizations.

One $1,000-prize winner in each of the competition’s seven categories will be announced at this event. The seven categories are social, environmental, high tech, health, global business, local business, and green campus.

Ideas were judged on whether they are feasible, fill a need, and can be implemented with a formulated plan.

Participants submitted their pitches online. A few pitches are available to watch in advance. In these videos, students discuss their plans for developing applications to use cell phones in the classroom, creating “glasses grips” to hold your glasses onto your face, amplifying cell phone signals in North Campus buildings, and using organic waste as a source of heating fuel. Watch them at http://mpowered.studentorgs.umich.edu/index.php?n=Main.Videos.

PLACE: Michigan Union ballroom, 530 S. State Street, Ann Arbor. Parking information is available at http://www.umich.edu/~uunions/maps/muparking.html

CONTACT: Andry Supian, project director, MPowered Entrepreneurship, (925) 922-2911 or asupian@umich.edu

Nicole Casal Moore, (734) 647-1838 or (734) 647-7087, ncmoore@umich.edu

Michigan Engineering:

The University of Michigan College of Engineering is ranked among the top engineering schools in the country. At more than $130 million annually, its engineering research budget is one of largest of any public university. Michigan Engineering is home to 11 academic departments and a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. The college plays a leading role in the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute and hosts the world class Lurie Nanofabrication Facility. Michigan Engineering’s premier scholarship, international scale and multidisciplinary scope combine to create The Michigan Difference. Find out more at http://www.engin.umich.edu/.
WEBSITE: www.1000pitches.com

Michigan Engineering:

The University of Michigan College of Engineering is ranked among the top engineering schools in the country. At more than $130 million annually, its engineering research budget is one of largest of any public university. Michigan Engineering is home to 11 academic departments and a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. The college plays a leading role in the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute and hosts the world class Lurie Nanofabrication Facility. Michigan Engineering’s premier scholarship, international scale and multidisciplinary scope combine to create The Michigan Difference. Find out more at http://www.engin.umich.edu/.

1,000 Pitches website