The Third Annual Pace Pitch Contest Presented by in association with: Exclusively sponsored by JPMorganChase Also sponsored by:
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- Morning:
- 8:30 – 10:30 – "Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation" panel discussion
- 10:30 – 1:30 SCI2 Incubator Company Exhibition and Open House
- 12:00 – 1:30 Pace Alumni Council on Entrepreneurship Networking Session
- Afternoon:
- 1:30 – 2:00 Registration
- 2:00 – 2:50 Opening Remarks and Keynote Speaker
- 2:50 – 4:00 Third Annual Pace Pitch Contest
- 4:00 – 4:15 Break
- 4:15 – 5:15 Judging Panel Discussion
- 5:15 – 6:00 Awards Ceremony and Reception
First Place: $1,000
Second Place: $500
Third Place: $250
Over seventy people applied to make a pitch this year and selecting ten Finalists and two Alternates was a difficult task for the Selection Committee. We would like to congratulate the following Finalists and Alternates:
Ten Finalists
Zeko Abas, Kori Lambert, and Frank L. Russo - Touch Calendars, Pace University (Lubin eMBA)
Chiranjeey Bordoloi and Peter-Charles Bright - SweetShelter.com, Pace University (Seidenberg DPS)
Hardik Gohil - Renaissance*, Pace University (Lubin MBA)
Nicole S. Kendall - Applied Learning Initiative*, Pace University (Seidenberg MS)
Heather O'Shea - Soyfully Delicious, Pace University (Lubin BBA)
William Phelps - Yamodo, Pace University (Lubin MBA)
Anas Sabri - New York Loan Exchange, Pace University (Lubin MS)
Alexander Salzman and Chris Advansun - Rethos, Princeton University (Economics AB)
Dwayne Sykes - 360 Disability Solutions*, Pace University (alumnus)
Justin Wohlstadter - ThoughtLoft, Harvard University (Economics AB)
* Social Venture (all others are New Business Concepts)
Zeko Abas, Kori Lambert, and Frank L. Russo - New Business Concept - Touch Calendars
Life changes at a moment's notice. Today plans change so often that it becomes next to impossible to coordinate business, personal, and family events. As technology advances, we have become more connected, but less organized. Paper calendars do not adjust daily and cannot be viewed remotely; digital calendars cannot hang on the wall or bring the fun of pictures, and most do not synchronize with other calendars. Our new business venture, Touch Calendars, marries the best of digital and paper calendars. Built to hang on the wall and boasting a touch-screen interface, capabilities include synchronizing with other calendars, playing sounds, recording voice messages, scheduling alerts, showing views by person or dates, displaying custom pictures, keeping notes, and much more. Users can access www.TouchCalendars.com anywhere to view updated events and click to agree or disagree with availability. As events are entered or changed, people can receive updates through devices such as e-mail, PDAs, and cell phone text messages.
The Family Touch Calendar (the first of the Touch Calendars we plan to bring to market) is the gatekeeper of family events, warming the kitchen with a constant cycle of family photos. Moving forward, additional Touch Calendars will be introduced including The Athletic Touch Calendar (targeting sports fanatics with sports trivia and major events pre-programmed), The Artistic Touch Calendar (showing different artists and their work), The Culinary Touch Calendar (displaying different recipes and cooking ideas, etc), to name a few.
There is no calendar that can be found today to rival the Touch Calendar, but the necessary technology already exists. The technological challenge is merging the components (touch-screen, software, wireless capabilities, memory, etc.) in a way that will be both affordable and durable enough to hang on every kitchen wall.
Biographies
Zeko Abas is a well-rounded telecommunications executive with 12 years of financial and sales related experience. With English as his fifth language, Zeko became the first in his family to earn both an undergraduate and a graduate degree. He is currently an eMBA student at Pace University and is expected to graduate in January 2007. In addition to working and studying full time, Zeko is a full time soccer and football coach for his three children.
Kori Lambert earned her BA at Eckerd College with majors in Russian Studies and Literature. She will earn her eMBA from Pace University in January 2007. With a piqued interest in Natural Language Processing, she went on to achieve an MSCSIS at Sacred Heart University. As a software engineer, she worked on a team of two that developed a speech recognition based system, resulting in three patents. Kori is now the US Regional Manager for the Microsoft Services team at UBS Investment Bank.
Frank L. Russo is an Assistant Vice President with Aon Horizon Consultants, a division of Aon, which provides insurance consulting services for Fortune 500 companies. He specializes in operational risk management and loss consulting as a direct extension of corporate business continuity strategies. His skills are utilized by clients in a broad array of industries, such as corporate banking, retail, broadcasting, real estate development, and a variety of manufacturing businesses. Frank graduated with a BS degree from Rutgers University. Frank attends Pace University and will earn his eMBA in January 2007.
Chiranjeey Bordoloi and Peter-Charles Bright - New Business Concept - SweetShelter.com
Business Overview: Sweetshelter.com is a Web 2.0 new business concept focused on the residential rental real estate marketplace. It may be described as:
- "ebay.com for rentals" in markets where rental units are in short-supply
- "lendingtree.com for renter leads" in markets where tenants are in short-supply
These offerings have an addressable market size greater than $2.2 Billion.
SweetShelter has used $72,000 founder's investment to build and test the "lendingtree.com" component of the business model. With an angel investment of $1 Million the rental auction platform could be built and beta-launched. Alternatively, a VC investment of $2.5 Million would enable a quicker launch path to achieving a successful commercial rollout.
Market Size: 79 million renters in the U.S. occupying 34 million rental housing units. 158 million renters occupying 68 million rental units in other global markets.
Revenue Model:
- 1. Auction Fees
- 2. Highly qualified lead sales and subscriptions
- 3. Advertising (Video, CPA etc.)
Secret Sauce: Patent-pending business method for items 1 & 2 above.
Marketing and Sales: Integrated online and offline marketing campaign targeting landlords, consumers and real-estate professionals.
Competition: realtybid.com (real estate sales auctions) Note: We would have a distinct first-mover advantage in the real estate rental space
2-day controlled environment test results: For "lending tree.com" component of business model only:
- 890 unique visitors
- 306 visitors converted to registered users (34% conversion rate)
- $110 subscription revenue + $80 lead sales + $65 Google ad clicks
Exit Strategy: Develop a powerful brand, deliver an exceptional user experience, grow financial/user metrics exponentially and get acquired by a major portal or competitor within 2 - 3 years.
Biographies
Chiranjeev Bordoloi is a DPS in Computing student at Pace University, expected to graduate in 2008. Mr. Bordoloi has successfully delivered complex multi-million dollar projects at IBM, Deloitte etc. in a variety of industries including the new media industry.
Peter-Charles Bright has successfully completed millions of dollars worth of rental transactions as an agent at NYC's largest real estate firm. He is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University. Both Mr. Bordoloi & Mr. Bright are members of the Real Estate Board of New York.
Hardik Gohil - Social Venture - Renaissance
As human beings, we have an inherent desire to be loved and accepted. In the mad rush of today's world, most individuals around the world spend an enormous part of their lives filled with fear, stress and loneliness. The present world is crammed with people, who are not alone, but deep inside they are horribly lonely. This condition only worsens when people near their retirement age, accompanied with deteriorating health and a younger generation deeply indulged in the same mad rush with no time for others.
Renaissance aims at offering re-birth at retirement to people between 65 and 74 years of age who have already retired or are nearing retirement. A survey on demographic profiles by Metlife reveals that the US population between 65-74 years is approximately 20 million. By 2030, this population will more than double to 40 million, and by 2050 will grow to 50 million. Of this population, about 15% of men and 35% of women live alone.
At Renaissance, we have a whole new approach towards retirement. We strive to make retirement one of the best events that ever happened to elderly individuals. We believe that this is the age where one can actually relish life, allowing maximum time to spend for oneself, away form the hustle of the everyday life.
Renaissance would be an organization aimed at knowledge-based cultural exchange programs for the retired along with providing a one spot solution to many of the elderly needs. Renaissance would team up with hotels, airlines, credit card companies, banks, insurance companies, reputed portfolio management companies, hospitals and tourism and thus provide goods and services at a cheaper rate. The collaboration would be a win-win situation for all parties involved.
Biography
Born and raised in India, Hardik was exposed to diverse cultures and views right from childhood. His views and vistas were nurtured in his family. After his schooling, he made a diligent effort and got admission in the prestigious B.K. Majumdar Institute of Business Administration (BKMIBA) of H.L. College, Ahmedabad. Here he pursued his Bachelor's in Business Administration. The three-year course inculcated in him a strong foundation of the basic concepts of Business. Working at his family business during the summer strengthened his belief in financial management and to get further exposure in the field of finance, he pursued his Post-Graduate diploma in Investment and financial analysis from S.D Damodar School of Commerce, Ahmedabad, affiliated to Gujarat University.
He is currently in his first semester at the Lubin School of Business at Pace University. He is pursuing an MBA in financial management and aims to join a multi-national investment banking company upon graduating.
Nicole S. Kendall - Social Venture - Applied Learning Initiative
While pursuing their graduate degrees, students often hope for real world experience in order to apply their education to a tangible endeavor. Applied Learning Initiative is a social venture that provides such an experience, the opportunity to apply the theory, concepts and models that have been studied in the classroom to an actual organizational issue.
Structure
A team of 5-7 students will frame the problem, identify the key issues and determine the most appropriate solution. Students will meet with company representatives to present their findings and recommendations. The course would take place over the course of an academic semester/year and be supervised by a faculty member.
University Involvement
This concept will require minimal oversight from the University. Dean Hill has agreed to help generate initial support for this initiative within the business and university community. A committee of students and university administrators will work together to solicit new business clients. This course will be open to all university graduate students.
Organizational Benefits
Organizations will benefit from the collective talents and focused efforts of cross-functional Pace student teams pooled together to produces well-reasoned analysis and applicable solutions to their organizational needs. The internship also provides a tangential recruiting opportunity for both students and companies alike.
Conclusion
Ultimately, this internship would provide Pace University with an excellent opportunity to showcase the talents and skills of its students while building and strengthening its relationship to the business community. For the student fortunate enough to participate, Applied Learning Initiative just may be the opportunity of a lifetime.
Biography
Nicole S. Kendall will earn her Masters in Telecommunications at Pace University's Ivan G. Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems in 2007. Her goal is to develop a successful career in securing and maintaining data effectively for end users while simultaneously increasing database functionality and security. Ms. Kendall's professional experience includes database management, unemployment tax analysis, and payroll administration. She has worked as a Consultant with the Domestic & Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church developing automated databases for their General Convention, which is held every three years to go over the governing of the Episcopal Church. Ms. Kendall also worked with Barnett Associates as a MIS Data Analyst, where she created and maintained financial ledgers to support unemployment tax decision-making.
Ms. Kendall is extremely involved in the graduate and alumni community at Pace University. She is a member of Professional Women in Corporate America and the Recent Alumni Committee. Recently she was a panelist for Pace University's Women in Computing Conference for high school girls. Ms. Kendall received a BS in Information Systems from Pace University in 2000.
Two Alternates
Art Gillman - The Satya Initiative*, University of Connecticut (alumnus)
Catalin Stefanovici - NomadSkiing, Polytechnic University (Computer Science BS)
* Social Venture (all others are New Business Concepts)
Heather O'Shea - New Business Concept - Soyfully Delicious
Soyfully Delicious: a hip, comfortable, vegetarian buffet style fast-food restaurant chain that will open in downtown New York City and will be the cheapest, friendliest, and healthiest place to go on a lunch break. Charging the flat rate of $4 per pound of food; Soyfully will also offer a laidback environment with sofas, free wireless and magazines. It will be the first completely vegetarian fast food chain in New York City leading to the potential to develop into a franchising opportunity.
The Vegetarian, health food, and organic restaurant industry is most certainly in the growth stage. Therefore, there are not many competitors in this specific niche, entry barriers are low, and the potential for growth is very high.
The target market for Vegetarian restaurants mostly consists of males and females in their early 20s to late 30s. These males and females are college students, college graduates, or upscale professionals. They are vegetarian, dieting, or health-conscious. They listen to underground music and are the first to know about the happening bars and clubs. They live in urban areas, rent apartments and have a mid-scale income. Those in this socio-demographic are progressive minded and liberal. (Claritas: My Best Segments Zip-Code lookup. Lifestage Segment 02: Young Achievers. http://www.claritas.com/mybestsegments/default.jsp 2005 Claritas.)To meet the progressive minds of our target, the vegetables will be purchased from local organic certified New York farms.
Heather O'Shea will be the sole proprietor, in charge of all marketing functions. She will be a graduate of Pace University in January 2007 with a Bachelor's of Business Administration in both Marketing and Management. Her experience as promotions director at the radio station has given her leadership experience and has also taught her how to make contacts in an industry. Her internship experience in advertising firms has also taught her consumer behavior research and how to create effective advertising.
Biography
Heather O'Shea is a full-time Pace University student who is graduating in January 2007. She is pursuing a dual BBA in Marketing with a concentration in Advertising and Promotions and Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. She is also the treasurer of the Pace Advertising club. Heather created her position as promotions manager at WPUB, Pace University Broadcasting. As promotions manager, she leads a team to pursue sales on air and in their monthly music and arts magazine, promote WPUB events, and set up public relations between promoters and the radio station. In addition, Heather spent the past summer as a media research analyst intern at Mediaedge:CIA where she researched consumer attitudes and media preferences for clients. She is currently a new business intern at Kirshenbaum Bond and partners where she assists account executives in pitching campaigns to possible new clients. Heather hopes one day to open a vegetarian restaurant in the New York City area. In her free time she likes to cook, knit, play the bass guitar, and ride her bike.
William Phelps - New Business Concept - Yamodo
Idea Storm Products, LLC is a new start-up company that invents games designed to inspire the imagination. Idea Storm's first product will be Yamodo™, an innovative drawing game that promises to inspire the imagination and great conversation.
Yamodo is different from other games because it is not only outrageously fun, but focuses on creative collaboration instead of an individual winner. As an ice-breaker, the game's inviting design promises to have people talking in no time. It is also a must for family game night, and is even proving successful in educational settings.
Yamodo is well protected, falling within copyright and trademark laws which make the game cost-effective to protect, and difficult to copy. The product is being tested in the gift, toy, and book markets. Initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and interest from Barnes & Noble bookstores has resulted in the product being tested online. Due to the game's inexpensive cost, the majority of the initial capital invested by Idea Storm will be used for trade shows, public relations, and start-up fees. Additional capital will be needed once Yamodo is accepted by one of the large retailers currently considering it including Target, Barnes & Noble, and Borders Books. Once accepted, short-term investments would be required to fulfill an order that would likely average 15,000 games.
Biography
William (Bill) graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor's degree in industrial design and a concentration in business. Since then, he has enhanced his professional career by teaching design courses in Australia, establishing a product consultancy, and working for a variety of entrepreneurial companies. Bill is currently attending the Pace part-time MBA program for entrepreneurship and international business (expected graduation 2008), while continuing to work full-time as the Vice President of Olympia Sports - an apparel design company in Elmsford, NY.
Bill's design background is tempered by a strong business and entrepreneurial drive that has allowed him to succeed in diverse roles including product design, graphic design, management, manufacturing, and sales. His adaptive and resourceful nature is enhanced by a hands-on approach to all aspects of the job.
Anas Sabri - New Business Concept - New York Loan Exchange
New York Loan Exchange is an online auction marketplace to facilitate lending and borrowing directly between individuals. We will act as intermediary cutting out financial institutions to allow people to get the best rates possible on loans. Borrowers can list their request for the loan and lenders can bid to buy it. The platform will also have the secondary markets where the lenders can sell the loans to other investors. We will service loans that will facilitate credit inquiries, disbursement of loans, accounting, collection and credit reporting services. There is a lot of inefficiency in the consumer lending market. The platform will be hosted online thus expanding the credit markets to reach low-income groups, rural areas and foreign countries.
The main source of revenue will be from commission on trades executed on our platform. The borrowers will be charged 1% commission; the lenders and buyers of the loan in secondary market will be charged .5% commission on the loan amount.
The online lending market is growing at high rate. Jim Bruene, editor of Online Banking Report, predicts that this niche industry will originate 124,000 loans totaling $978 million in 2010. Our direct competitor, Prosper.com claims to have originated $18 million loan in the 9 months of their operations to date. We expect to originate loans worth $250 million on our platform in the year 2010.
We have a patent pending on the platform that will give us a competitive edge. Among other areas, we will continue to innovate in advisory services, tools for pre and post trade analysis and tools to safeguard against fraud. It is critical to our success that we comply with the concerned national and state laws in the highly regulated financial industry.
Biography
Anas has extensive experience in the financial industry. He has worked in Investment Banking as well as the Asset Management industry. He has worked with ABN Amro as the Product Controller of interest rate swap books. He has internship experience as an Operations Analyst at Morgan Stanley and as a Research Analyst at Knott Partners, a value oriented investment fund. Anas has also consulted with Brand One, an early stage company helping with the vision and business plan development. Anas holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Coastal Carolina University with a double major in Finance and Marketing. Currently, he is enrolled full time in Master of Science in Investment Management program at Pace University, NY. He is also pursuing a part time Certificate Program in Investment Banking from New York University.
Alexander Salzman and Chris Advansun - Social Venture - Rethos
Rethos is a socially oriented media company specializing in integrated cause marketing that focuses on social and environmental issues to unite and engage socially responsible corporations, non-profit organizations, and 18-34 year olds worldwide. Rethos has a resolute mission of offering a global platform for solution driven change. Rethos offers a social networking platform and media portal that unites like-minded individuals and organizations to generate solutions to urgent social and environmental issues. As a platform for change, Rethos.com enables users to receive comprehensive information, unite with allies who share a common passion and purpose, and take urgently needed action.
rethos n. A revision of fundamental beliefs or attitudes; a shift in focus and objective for a culture or era.
"Have you recently ruminated on the litany of social and environmental problems facing our world and wondered, as a society, how we manage such a paralysis towards meaningful change? Climate change, environmental degradation, poverty, hunger, armed conflict, injustice - yet the status quo persists. You are not alone. Rethos.com is a social networking Web site and media portal created by and for those who refuse to stand by. Its mission is to create an online platform from which individuals, non-profit organizations and social responsible companies can unite to realize a world that is socially just, environmentally sustainable and free of armed conflict. Rethos.com's members believe that as consumers and global citizens, we have tremendous power to effect change.
Biographies
Alex Salzman began his career as an entrepreneur at the age of 17 by approaching Toronto based entertainment company Sights and Sounds with a strategy to help them win national sponsorships. The company successfully implemented the plan and the experience afforded him valuable insight into youth marketing and corporate event sponsorship. Shortly thereafter, Alex organized and successfully executed a charity bicycle tour, "The Vancouver to Toronto Ride For Youth". Instigating the project afforded him valuable people and project management skills, as well as opened his eyes to the power of youth to bring about social change. In 2004, Alex postponed his degree in behavioral economics at Princeton University to assist in the launch of TerraCycle Inc - a New Jersey based company producing the world's first product derived from and packaged in waste! Alex assumed the roll of Director of Product Development. After co-founding Blue Horizon Media in 2005, Alex returned to Princeton University to complete his degree.
Chris Advansun is the essence of a social entrepreneur, having launched ventures in both the for-profit and non-profit space. In 2001, Chris founded SmartPages, a company specializing in executing product-based fundraising campaigns for Ottawa based charities addressing poverty. This valuable experience lead him to work closely with such non-profit organizations as The Shepherds of good Hope and The Kanata Food Cupboard, and manage advertising clients and distribution partners including GoodLife Fitness, Pizza Pizza and Chapters Indigo. In developing SmartPages, Chris realized a commercial enterprise with a social mission, whose success depended on that of his non-profit clients. In 2002, Chris launched Our Changing Planet, a public education campaign communicating a science-based analysis of climate change to Ottawa secondary school students in interactive workshops. Co-founding Blue Horizon Media answers to his personal desire to use his expertise in communication and entrepreneurship to make a significant social contribution.
Dwayne Sykes - Social Venture - 360º Disability Solutions
360º Disability Solutions, Inc.'s mission is to provide IT Support and Solutions to individuals with significant disabilities and functional limitations. 360 Technicians will interview the prospective clients, analyze their technical needs, design the computer to fit their disability, and later provide remote or in-house technical support. If the client does not have a computer 360 will provide one through the PC Sponsorship Program. 360's focus is to provide these programs and services to children, adults, veterans and senior citizens with disabilities in the NYC area for a no or a small fee, which will be income contingent. This is based on the fact that approximately of the 1.4 million people that are disabled in NYC, hundreds of thousands are in poverty.
360's services will expand the depth and scope of options available, leading to increased social mobility and more productive, independent lives. 360 aims to proactively affect social change and combat stigmas and stereotypes through a technology-based approach. 360 is also working with the Mayor's Office with People with Disabilities in developing a plan to assist Commissioner Mathew Sapolin with people that call his office for assistance.
The organization will focus on traditional ways of how nonprofits raise money, but also will develop creative and diverse streams of revenue through services to other organizations that are also looking to assist individuals with disabilities, as well as developing products.
360 measure of success is defined by improved quality of life as seen through increased access to products and services, increased independence, and improved access to information and communication. Success can also be seen through improved earning potential, increased income, or the development of marketable skills. 360 will conduct quarterly surveys to determine the effectiveness of services and programs as well as solicit feedback to continuously improve 360 offerings and develop new programs.
Biography
Dwayne Sykes held a position at JPMorgan Chase as a Sr. System Analyst and left to start a nonprofit organization. He earned a BS in Personal Computer Studying from Pace University in May 2006. Dwayne will earn an MBA with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from Pace in 2007. He has attended nonprofit seminars and workshops at the Foundation Center and Lawyer Alliance of NY to assist with his development as he transitions himself from the corporate to the nonprofit sector.
Dwayne worked in the technology field for 17 years with major organizations like Morgan Guaranty Trust, Coopers and Lybrand, F.W. Woolworth, Philip Morris, Brown Brothers and Harriman. He received 27 JPMorgan Chase Employee Reorganization Awards and also won an award for his technical leadership and diligent work on 9/11 by implementing the Disaster Recovery Plan, which secured them from a negative financial impact.
Justin Wohlstadter - New Business Concept - ThoughtLoft
True entrepreneurs share the realization that success is a perpetual goal. We are born with the belief that we should never stop thinking, creating, and innovating. To accomplish this aim, even the smartest and most connected individuals are constantly searching for new ideas and passionate people to work with on new concepts.
Created as a members club in New York City, ThoughtLoft provides a comfortable and energizing atmosphere where members can think creatively, network with each other, and forge profitable new ventures.
Members can use ThoughtLoft to maximize their creativity and productivity by taking advantage of:
An open environment styled as a cross between a cozy coffee shop and a plush business club, including comfy chairs, calm lighting, and a relaxing ambiance, that will allow members to work individually or with each other on new and innovative concepts.
Amenities galore, including conference rooms, mail boxes, pastries & wrapped sandwiches, periodicals, lockers, concierge services, and complementary coffee & wireless internet, that make the workday as hassle-free and relaxing as possible.
Practical business resources, including complementary business solutions, advice, and services provided by ThoughtLoft and our partners.
A constant inflow of ideas, including new technologies and business concepts - from surrounding companies and b-schools - that are in need of entrepreneurial leadership and financing.
In addition to providing a great workspace, ThoughtLoft will help create and foster profitable connections between members through services such as:
Remote Connect - will allow members to view upcoming events, search for other members, and get in touch, anywhere in the world, at any time through our exclusive online service.
Party at the Loft - our answer to dull networking events - where members can meet new contacts and share ideas while enjoying great music and drinks in an upbeat setting.
Biography
Justin has over five years of entrepreneurial and business management experience, including the startup of Bluevolume, a design and print firm in Dallas, Texas. Justin concentrated in International Business and Entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis freshman year before transferring to Harvard University to be closer to the expected first location of ThoughtLoft, which is planned to open in NYC November of 2007. To accomplish this goal, he plans to take a temporary leave of absence from Harvard for a year, and return fall of 2008 to spend his last 2 years on campus.
Art Gillman - Social Venture - The Satya Initiative
The Satya Initiative will facilitate weekly e-mail exchanges between Israeli and Palestinian students. Structured e-mail correspondence would foster open, honest dialogue and develop problem-solving skills. We would then expand the model to other conflict zones around the world.
There are other organizations that have peaceful-coexistence initiatives between Israelis and Palestinians, and in other conflict zones around the world. However, because of security concerns and visa problems, the majority of these initiatives rely on infrequent face- to-face meetings. My approach, on the other hand, is a safe and reliable method of opening dialogue between two divided communities. E- mail communication will bring people together for a sustained period of time (every week for an entire school year).
Using a rigorously designed curriculum, students will challenge each other, formulate persuasive arguments, and pose tough questions to their assigned peers. These positive weekly interactions will filter out and influence their family, friends and communities. Finally, at the end of the school year, the two groups of students will meet in-person for the first time to reflect on their year of correspondence and evaluate the program's effectiveness.
The organization will be called "The Satya Initiative." Satya means "truth" in Sanskrit. It implies openness, honesty and fairness. Mahatma Gandhi used this term as part of his philosophy of non-violence. Gandhi believed in the inherent worth of dialogue with opponents, and the value of a sincere wish to understand their drives and motivations. On a practical level, students will learn that willingness to listen to another's point of view is largely dependent on reciprocity. In order to be heard by one's opponents, one must also be prepared to listen.
Biography
Art Gillman graduated with a degree in Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 1992, and embarked on a nine year journey living abroad and working for a variety of organizations, primarily in the non-profit sector. Over this period, his varied roles included working as an English teacher in Taiwan; working as a journalist and in a TV camera crew in Costa Rica; volunteering in a homeless shelter for Mexican and Central American refugees on the border of Texas and Mexico; acting as a political tour guide for a U.S. NGO in Guatemala; and a period working on a kibbutz, studying Hebrew, and working for a human rights organization in Israel. In 2002, he moved to New York City to work as a bilingual interviewer on two public health research studies. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he is developing a non-profit start-up.
Catalin Stefanovici - New Business Concept - NomadSkiing
NomadSkiing, a skiing/snowboarding tourism company, is planning to build a community of skiers who like to travel, experience new resorts and slopes, meet new people, and have a good time. We ski the best slopes in the Northeast in the winter and South America in the summer.
Skiing is known to be an expensive sport but we plan to offer affordable skiing. Using group rates we save around 25% off (depending on the resort) lift ticket prices.
In addition to unbeatable prices on lift tickets, NomadSkiing offers a guide to where to stay, entertaining night time activities, the chance to become part of our vibrant community, and everything else our guests need during the NomadSkiing event that they choose to attend.
NomadSkiing.com is the source for all scheduling information for the current season. The Web site shows a schedule of events. Events consist of trips to one of the skiing resorts. Our staff will welcome the guests, and provide guidance and information. They will benefit of a detailed schedule that will include skiing, dining, games, and socializing. While guests ski, our team will take photographs that will be available for everyone in the evening, at the hotel.
Our trips will be 3 or 4 days long for groups of 25-30 people. Guests will reserve their spot on the Internet at nomadskiing.com. From there we will take care of their reservations, lift tickets, and providing them with a fun-filled schedule for the time they will be with us.
We will be making revenue from advertising on our Web site, which should become very popular and from sponsors. Our sponsors will be listed on sweatshirts that we will give out to all guests along with other promotional material. Go to NomadSkiing.com and come chase the snow around the country.
Biography
Catalin Stefanovici is a sophomore at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, NY studying Computer Science. He was born in Romania and moved to New Jersey six years ago. He did a lot of programming and web design in his spare time. He also likes baseball, soccer, and skiing, which is how he came up with his idea for NomadSkiing. He has recently started working on the Web site for this business when he found out about the Pitch Contest. He also has a few other Web sites that he runs and updates. An interesting example is myfacemyblog.com, which is a portal for all bloggers. It is slowly gaining members and many people been leaving e-mails praising the site. It will shortly become very popular. He hopes you will find NomadSkiing very interesting and he is looking forward to seeing you on the slopes.
Judging Panel
Dr. Fred Aslan, Vice President, Venrock Associates
Majora Carter, Founder and Executive Director, Sustainable South Bronx
Stephen Hindy, Co-Founder and President, The Brooklyn Brewery
Thomas Mulligan, Vice President, JPMorgan Chase Bank
David S. Rose, Chairman, New York Angels
M. Bernard Siegel, CPA and Certified Professional Coach
Lori S. Smith, Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP
Dr. Fred Aslan, Vice President, Venrock Associates
Fred Aslan joined Venrock in 2006 and is currently a Vice President in the New York office focused on the firm's activities in healthcare. Prior to joining Venrock, Fred worked at Atlas Venture where he was involved in new medical device and biotechnology investments. Prior to Atlas Venture, Fred was Director of Business Development and Head of Investor Relations for CuraGen Corporation, a public drug development company in Connecticut, where he successfully worked on in-licensing a clinical stage oncology compound, raising $110 million in convertible debentures and securing sell-side and buy-side interest in the Company. Before this, he worked as a management consultant in the Boston office of the Boston Consulting Group, working with biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients.
Fred received an MD from Yale University School of Medicine, an MBA with Distinction from the Harvard Business School, and a BS in Biology from Duke University.
Majora Carter, Founder and Executive Director, Sustainable South Bronx
Majora Carter is founder and executive director of Sustainable South Bronx, an emergent community organization dedicated to the implementation of sustainable development projects for the South Bronx that are informed by the needs of the community and the values of environmental justice. Previously, she served as project director and then associate director of community restoration of the Point Community Development Corporation.
Ms. Carter co-designed the proposal for CityRiver, a job-creation, economic and ecological development for the Bronx River. She also spearheaded the development of the Hunts Point Riverside Park, the first waterfront park on the Hunts Point peninsula in over sixty years. She is a board member of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and representative for the Organization of Waterfront Neighborhoods.
Her numerous honors and awards include the 2002 NYC Council Women's History Month Pacesetter Award, the 2000 Environmental Advocate Award for Achievements in Community Development and the 1999 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Quality Award.
Majora is a life long resident of Hunts Point in the South Bronx, a graduate of PS 48, IS 74, the Bronx High School of Science, Wesleyan University (BA) and New York University (MFA). She is a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, 2002 Open Society Institute Community Fellow.
Stephen Hindy, Co-Founder and President, The Brooklyn Brewery
Steve Hindy is Chairman and President of The Brooklyn Brewery. A former journalist, he became interested in home-brewing while serving as a Beirut-based Middle East Correspondent for The Associated Press. He is Chair of the Brewers Association Board of Directors, a director of Brooklyn's Prospect Park Alliance and the Brooklyn Tourism Board. Hindy was Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Ellen, principal of Intermediate School 89 in Manhattan. They have two children. With Tom Potter, Hindy co-authored Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery, Forward by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, published by John Wiley & Sons. Steve has a master's of teaching English from Cornell.
Thomas D. Mulligan, Vice President, JPMorgan Chase Bank
Tom Mulligan is a Relationship Manager in Business Banking, handling a diverse portfolio of customers in the New York City metropolitan area. Tom has been with the firm for 12 years serving in capacities within Corporate Trust, Middle Market Banking and Business Banking. Tom completed the firm's Credit Training Program and has experience in lending to small and medium sized companies.
Tom received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Niagara University.
David S. Rose, Chairman, New York Angels
David S. Rose is an entrepreneurial executive and investor with extensive experience in high technology and communications, angel investments, finance and government. He was named by Inc. magazine to the 1998 Inc 500 list as CEO of one of the fastest growing private companies in America. Red Herring magazine has described him as "a patriarch of New York's Silicon Alley" and Crain's New York Business named him one of the City's 25 most influential technology executives.
During the course of his career, Mr. Rose has supervised the creation of an intellectual property portfolio of issued patents appraised at over $100 million and negotiated both domestic and international corporate acquisitions. He was a prime author of the new data messaging protocols for the personal communications industry, and lectures frequently on issues relating to the development of the international information infrastructure.
In 1997 he was honored as a finalist for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the New York New Media category; in 1984, Time magazine profiled him in its "Computer as Man of the Year" issue; and he has been the subject of numerous interviews and articles in print and electronic media. He is a member of the Technical Committee of the Personal Communications Industry Association as well as the Council of Communications Advisors.
Mr. Rose is Chairman of the Board of the New York Angels, Inc., the leading angel investment consortium in the New York region. Through his investment fund, Rose Tech Ventures, he provides capital and management expertise to promising early stage companies. On behalf of his own technology firms he has personally raised tens of millions of dollars in venture, strategic and institutional capital.
With over two decades of hands-on experience in founding, managing and funding diverse companies, Mr. Rose is actively involved in mentoring and advising other entrepreneurs and corporate executives. Dubbed by BusinessWeek "The Pitch Coach" for his ability to help entrepreneurs perfect their fundraising skills, he was a Founding Member of the New York New Media Association and is a frequent guest speaker at graduate business schools including Harvard, Yale, Columbia and NYU. He is also a mentor and judge of Yale University's annual business plan competitions and has judged the annual Students in Free Enterprise national finals. As a regular lecturer for New York's Industrial Technology Assistance Corporation he has taught the Venture Financing and Deal Negotiation section of the FasTrak Tech courses since 1997.
Mr. Rose is Chairman and CEO of Angelsoft, which operates a collaboration platform for early stage equity investing; and Chairman of KoolSpan, Inc., a developer of leading-edge network security technology. He also serves as an active early stage investor in companies including SignStorey, Koolspan, BioScale, DigitWireless, Metaphor Solutions, Goodmail, Content Directions, Zero-G, Critical Mention, Spotlight Data and others. Prior to founding AirMedia Corporation in 1988, for which he served as CEO for over ten years, his career included over fifteen years in real estate development, government, teaching and urban planning.
Mr. Rose was co-founder and Chairman of The Computer Classroom, one of the world's first computer training firms, and spent over ten years developing technology-enhanced commercial and residential real estate in New York, Washington, DC and Boston with the firm of Rose Associates, Inc. Earlier, he served as Deputy Director of the New York office of US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. In that position, Mr. Rose represented the Senator on multiple civic and public boards and was the Senator's Special Assistant for high technology and urban planning.
A native New Yorker, Mr. Rose has a BA from Yale University and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University Business School. He is a graduate of the New York City public school system and Horace Mann High School. He is profiled in Marquis Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World and Who's Who in Business and Industry.
M. Bernard Siegel, CPA and Certified Professional Coach
Bernie Siegel is a licensed CPA and a Certified Professional Coach. He is a graduate of one of the top empowerment coaching programs in the country, and, as a former Executive, has over two decades of real world experience helping to shape success in several well known, fast growing, public and private companies. As the CFO of TD Waterhouse, CFO and COO of Fleet Brokerage Services and CFO of Wit Capital Group, which he brought public, he had a leadership role in establishing them as industry leaders. In addition, he served as the CEO of an international venture capital firm, Yazam, Inc., which raised over $120 million in capital, investing in seed stage start-up companies around the globe. Having frequently served as a board member of many companies, he has helped to improve their performance and achieve their business objectives.
Currently Bernie is devoting his time working primarily with executives and entrepreneurs in fast growing businesses as a professional business coach/consultant and a financial advisor. He has helped them to achieve results they may have thought weren't possible.
Bernie has been a frequent speaker and panel member at various industry events, sharing his knowledge of what makes businesses successful. He was featured as a rising star of Silicon Alley in Red Hearing magazine. Bernie is an active member of the Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Membership Committee. He is also on the Board of the International Coaching Federation-NY, and a member of the Business Plan Presentation Committee of the MIT Enterprise Forum.
Lori S. Smith, Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP
Lori Smith, a partner in the firm's Business Law Department and a member of its Technology Companies Group, specializes in representing foreign and domestic companies in various industries with regard to mergers and acquisitions, financings and general corporate matters, with an emphasis on emerging technologies. Ms. Smith has extensive experience acting as outside counsel for companies at all stages of development, from start-ups to public companies. Work for Clients
Ms. Smith has over 20 years experience representing entrepreneurs, venture capital and private equity investors and public and private companies in the structuring, negotiation and implementation of equity and debt financings and private equity transactions, private placements, acquisitions, mergers, strategic alliances, joint ventures, and licensing, manufacturing and distribution arrangements (including distribution via the Internet and wireless means). In addition to advising clients on transactional and contract matters, she regularly provides advice and assistance to companies and their investors with respect to general corporate governance and ongoing compliance matters as well as the various issues that need to be addressed in anticipation of and planning for a public offering, sale or merger.
Ms. Smith is outside general counsel to New York Angels, one of the leading angel investment groups in the Northeast and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum.
Ms. Smith was a Senior Editor of Law and Contemporary Problems at Duke University School of Law. Before joining Goodwin Procter, Ms. Smith served as a partner in the corporate and technology practice groups in the New York office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP. Previously, she was senior counsel at Proskauer Rose LLP, also in New York. Ms. Smith is a member of the New York and New Jersey Bars.
Ms. Smith received a J.D. from the Duke University School of Law (with high honors) and a BA from the University of Rochester (magna cum laude).
Speakers
Keynote Speaker on Commercial Entrepreneurship
Steve Hindy, Co-Founder and President, Brooklyn Brewery
Keynote Speaker on Social Entrepreneurship
Majora Carter, Founder and Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx
Welcome
Joseph R. Baczko, Dean of the Lubin School of Business, Pace University
Emcee
Bruce Bachenheimer, Clinical Professor of Management and Executive Director of Entrepreneurship@Lubin, Pace University
Stephen Hindy, Co-Founder and President, The Brooklyn Brewery
Steve Hindy is Chairman and President of The Brooklyn Brewery. A former journalist, he became interested in home-brewing while serving as a Beirut-based Middle East Correspondent for The Associated Press. He is Chair of the Brewers Association Board of Directors, a director of Brooklyn's Prospect Park Alliance and the Brooklyn Tourism Board. Hindy was Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Ellen, principal of Intermediate School 89 in Manhattan. They have two children. With Tom Potter, Hindy co-authored BEER SCHOOL: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery, Forward by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, published by John Wiley & Sons. Steve has a master's of teaching English from Cornell.
Majora Carter, Founder and Executive Director, Sustainable South Bronx
Majora Carter is founder and executive director of Sustainable South Bronx, an emergent community organization dedicated to the implementation of sustainable development projects for the South Bronx that are informed by the needs of the community and the values of environmental justice. Previously, she served as project director and then associate director of community restoration of the Point Community Development Corporation.
Ms. Carter co-designed the proposal for CityRiver, a job-creation, economic and ecological development for the Bronx River. She also spearheaded the development of the Hunts Point Riverside Park, the first waterfront park on the Hunts Point peninsula in over sixty years. She is a board member of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and representative for the Organization of Waterfront Neighborhoods.
Her numerous honors and awards include the 2002 NYC Council Women's History Month Pacesetter Award, the 2000 Environmental Advocate Award for Achievements in Community Development and the 1999 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Quality Award.
Majora is a life long resident of Hunts Point in the South Bronx, a graduate of PS 48, IS 74, the Bronx High School of Science, Wesleyan University (BA) and New York University (MFA). She is a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, 2002 Open Society Institute Community Fellow.
Joseph R. Baczko, Dean of the Lubin School of Business, Pace University
Mr. Baczko has held senior management and leadership positions with a number of very dynamic, high growth public companies operating domestically, as well as in the international sector. In each of these positions, he has guided these organizations in attaining market share leadership in their respective fields and in achieving significant profitability.
Mr. Baczko is currently the Dean of the Lubin School of Business. Previously, he advised private equity firms on international acquisitions in areas of consumer services and specialty retailing. From 1997 to 2001, he was Chairman and CEO of Frank's Nursery & Crafts, a specialty retailer acquired in a leveraged buy-out which he led. After several years devoted to turn-around activities, the company reorganized under new ownership. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Baczko was a private investor associated with the Cypress Group, LLC, a major private equity firm, and the lead investor in Frank's Nursery & Crafts. As President and COO of Blockbuster Entertainment from 1991-1993, Mr. Baczko helped lead that company to significant growth in the US and internationally, and market leadership worldwide through the expansion of company-owned operations, acquisitions and franchising. During his tenure, the company doubled its size and operated more than 3,000 stores worldwide. Mr. Baczko was the founder and President of Toys R Us-International, and led that company's successful global expansion from 1983 to 1990. He established major retail operations in Canada, France, Germany, UK, Spain, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. The growth of Toys R Us-International became a textbook case for successful global expansion in specialty retailing. From 1979 to 1983, as CEO of Max Factor-Europe, Mr. Baczko directed that company's UK- based manufacturing and marketing operations throughout Europe, and developed a network of joint ventures in the Middle East, Africa, Japan, and South Asia. Prior to 1979, Mr. Baczko held various management positions with W.R. Grace and in merchant banking.
In addition to his business career, Mr. Baczko has had significant involvement in academia. He is currently the Dean of Pace University's Lubin School of Business. Previously, he was Chairman of the Board of Visitors for the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, a position he has held for the past nine years, and during which time he has worked closely with its Dean in enhancing the School's mission and capabilities. He has been a past member of the University's Board of Regents for eight years, the last two of which were as Vice-Chairman. Mr. Baczko was an active member of the University's Capital Campaign Steering Committee, which successfully concluded its $1 billion campaign last year, of which the School of Foreign Service raised $120 million.
Mr. Baczko is Hungarian, born in Germany, raised in France, and immigrated to the States with his family in the fifties. He graduated from the School of Foreign Service with a BSFS, and received an MBA from Harvard University. Mr. Baczko was an officer in the US Marine Corps, and served in Vietnam. He and his wife have three grown children, and reside in New York City.
Bruce Bachenheimer, Clinical Professor of Management and Executive Director of Entrepreneurship@Lubin, Pace University
Bruce Bachenheimer is a Clinical Professor and the Executive Director of Entrepreneurship @ Lubin at Pace University. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, primarily in the Department of Management. Before joining Pace in 2002, he taught a number of courses at Mercy College, including entrepreneurship.
Mr. Bachenheimer served as a Vice President of iQ Venture Partners, an Assistant Vice President of Westpac Banking Corp. and an International Banking Officer for the Bank of Tokyo. As the International Product Manager for MSI, an SBA certified 8(a) firm, he was responsible for the initial commercialization of a high-technology forensic science system. In that position, he conducted business in over twenty countries. He has also started successful ventures in both the US and overseas.
Mr. Bachenheimer has served as a consultant to the NYC Department of Small Business Services and several entrepreneurial ventures. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the MIT Enterprise Forum of NYC and serves on numerous committees at Pace, including the Selection Committee of the University's incubator. Mr. Bachenheimer is the founding faculty advisor of the Pace Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs, a Students In Free Enterprise Sam Walton Fellow, and the organizer of the Pace Business Plan Competition, Pitch Contest and Entrepreneurship Conference.
Mr. Bachenheimer holds a BBA, Summa Cum Laude, from Pace University and received the McKinsey & Company Leadership Scholarship to pursue an MBA. degree, which he earned from the Australian Graduate School of Management.
Inaugural Pace Pitch Contest (December 3rd, 2004). Second Annual Pace Pitch Contest (December 9th, 2005). |
Click to download the full Official Program for the Third Annual Pace Pitch Contest (PDF). |
For additional information, please contact
Bruce Bachenheimer,
Clinical Professor and Director of Entrepreneurship @ Lubin:
Tel: (212) 618-6663
Fax: (212) 618-6664
E-mail: bbachenheimer@pace.edu
Web: webpage.pace.edu/bbachenheimer
Address: Pace University
Lubin School of Business
Department of Management, Room 342
163 William Street
New York, NY 10038
"Opportunity through Entrepreneurship" SM