30 September 2011
Congratulations to Business Plan finalists
Ten outstanding teams have made it to the final stage of the 2011 RMIT Business Plan Competition, beating a record field of entries.
Last year’s winners Ben Mears and Christiaan Durrant, from Tasmanian Air Adventures, with Professor Gill Palmer, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic and Vice-President
Ourevent.info’s Brett Saxon and Paul Monks – 2009 competition winners – with RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Margaret Gardner AO.
Eugene Filippov and Donald Payne from EnergyCore celebrate their 2008 BPC win with Professor Gardner.
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The annual competition, which helps students turn their business dreams into reality, received 131 entries this year – an increase of more than 12 per cent on 2010.
The 10 finalist teams will now take part in the all-important Pitching Day on Monday, 10 October, where they will have 30 minutes to present their business concept to the judges.
Now in its 11th year, the RMIT Business Plan Competition is open to undergraduate, postgraduate and TAFE students across all RMIT campuses.
The winners receive the RMIT University $25,000 First Prize, with runners-up and other finalists awarded more than $80,000 in cash and in-kind prizes.
The competition is the biggest program of its type in Australia, maintaining strong ties to industry through its impressive contingent of judges, mentors and sponsors.
More than 2,200 students have taken part since 2001, with many past competitors now running successful businesses in Australia and around the world.
The 2011 Business Plan Competition finalists are:
3BL – Team Leader, Master of Computer Science student Tom McLeod. A social enterprise that employs people in Nigeria, Cameroon and Uganda to collect, sort, clean and recycle plastic bottles. The recycled plastic is then shipped to Australia and made into stylish, functional and sustainable furniture.
808 Dance Studio – Team Leader, Bachelor of Commerce student Hang Thi Bich Quan, RMIT Vietnam. The Hanoi-based start-up is meeting the rising demand for dance training in the city, teaching latin, hip hop, jazz and contemporary. The studio is supported by a non-profit and open-to-all 808 Dance Community, which gives dance lovers a playground for sharing their passion.
Dream Team – Team Leader, Bachelor of Commerce student Tai Phat Ngo, RMIT Vietnam. Operating under the name Mushwin, the business aims to fulfil the high unmet demand for mushrooms in Vietnam through new technologies and innovative processes. New skills will be transferred to the local community through direct and indirect employment of residents and farmers.
InfoRig – Team Leader, Master of Business Administration (Executive) student Tam Cong Ta, RMIT Vietnam. Focusing primarily on the Vietnamese and ASEAN markets, the business aims to resell and implement business intelligence software to help companies improve their reporting and analysis capabilities.
It’s Secure – Team Leader, Master of Business Administration (Executive) student Colin Steel. A specialist security provider to the small business sector, the start-up provides monitoring, guarding, patrols, installations and preventative maintenance services to retail and commercial businesses with 200-1000 square metre properties.
Moment of Passion – Team Leader, Bachelor of Commerce student Thi Tuyet Trang Pham, RMIT Vietnam. An event planning venture that provides people with a worry-free personal party planning and celebrations service. Initially operating in Ho Chi Minh City, the business will offer complete kit for all parties and events, particularly weddings.
Nutrition Ammunition – Team Leader, Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship) student Alison McAtamney. Integrating online nutrition advice with seminars teaching health tips and food principles, the business aims to empower Australians with the skills they need to make informed health decisions. Step-by-step programs are provided in a range of formats suitable for schools, workplaces and the home.
Ragamuffin Pet Photography – Team Leader, Bachelor of Arts (Photography) student Caitlin McColl. A boutique photography business that specialises in artistic, custom photographic portraiture of pets. With about 250,000 pet-owning Melbourne households classifying their pet as their own baby or child, the start-up aims to fill a major gap in the market for high-end pet photography
Snap Comp – Team Leader, Master of Commerce student Paul Monks. A web-based platform for running competitions, raffles and redemptions, aimed at small to medium-sized businesses and not-for-profits. Snap Comp solves the legal, technical and marketing problems of running competitions with a simple-to-use, low-cost, self-service solution.
The Social Switchboard – Team Leader, Master of Social Science (International Urban and Environmental Management) student Ian Jones. An import wholesale social enterprise connecting independent retailers to small non-profits in developing countries, who make handicraft products under fair trade principles. The venture is targeting retail customers in south-west Victoria, with 10 per cent of profits returned to training suppliers in Cambodia.
The winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony hosted by RMIT Pro Vice-Chancellor Business and Vice-President, Professor Ian Palmer, on Thursday, 13 October.
To attend the awards night, register online.
