September 26, 2013

Lewis & Clark’s venture competition promotes entrepreneurship

Throughout 2013, teams of student and alumni entrepreneurs developed business plans for Lewis & Clark’s first venture competition.

Throughout 2013, teams of student and alumni entrepreneurs developed business plans for Lewis & Clark’s first venture competition.

Initially, the competition attracted more than 40 teams. From there, 11 teams were selected to develop business plans with the support of an entrepreneurial mentor. They covered topics such as market analysis, networks, business financials and plans, and branding.

In April, the teams competed in the first Pitch Day, a chance for each team to pitch their business plans to a panel of expert judges. At the close of the event, five teams were selected to receive continued mentoring and seed funding to support their ventures.

This video features the five finalists of the 2013 competition. They will compete in October in a final round of presentations for funding totaling up to $30,000. (The competition is funded by an anonymous alumnus and spouse.)

The five teams include:
1. House of Tayo: Showcases African sophistication, style, and flavor through contemporary, locally made clothing and accessories.

2. Kokonect: Develops websites and native applications that enable users to share resources and connect with like-minded individuals on practical terms.

3. Rooted Recovery: A clinical mentoring program for adults with eating disorders, established in order to bridge the gap of care between higher and lower levels of care.

4. Portland Mushroom Company: Provides high quality locally produced oyster mushrooms to the Portland metropolitan area and lead the way in urban mushroom cultivation in the Northwest.

5. Forge Portland: A shared workspace that will house up to 40 nonprofit organizations from similar sectors.