Some people may think business is just about making money, but a lot of college students want to make a difference while making a profit. They’re coming to TCU April 21-22 to show us how.
Press Release – April 17, 2017 (FORT WORTH, Texas) – College students from 51 universities in the United States, Canada, Scotland, Croatia and Bangladesh are coming to TCU April 21-22 to pitch ideas for businesses that make a difference while making a profit.
They’ll vie for more than $70,000 in cash prizes to make those ideas a reality, thanks to TCU’s Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures® Competition (www.neeley.tcu.edu/vandv).
Values and Ventures® is not like any other college business plan competition. Students must present a plan for a for-profit business that benefits the community, environment or a specific population. Past winners include mattress recycling plants that employ former inmates, affordable banking kiosks for underserved populations and human-powered grain machines for remote areas of Africa.
This is the seventh year for the competition, presented by the TCU Neeley Entrepreneurship Center. Co-founders are Dallas real estate and technology entrepreneurs Nancy Tartaglino Richards and Lisa Barrentine of First Preston HT.
More than 100 business professionals serve as judges and mentors.
All 51 teams will compete Friday morning, April 21, in seven simultaneous flights. The top team from each flight will advance to the finals Saturday, April 22. Second-place teams from each flight will compete in a lightning round Friday afternoon. The top two teams from the lightning round will also compete in the finals on Saturday. All teams will compete in an elevator pitch competition Saturday.
Winners will be announced Saturday afternoon.
2017 participating schools
Bangladesh University of Professionals
California Lutheran University
California Polytechnic University-Pomona
California State University-San Bernardino
Emory University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida State University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Grand Valley State University
James Madison University
JJ Strossmeyer University
Johns Hopkins University
Kennesaw State University
Loyola Marymount University
Michigan State University
Millikin University
North Carolina State University
Ohio University
Prairie View A&M University
Royal Roads University
Saint Leo University
Siena College
Southern Methodist University
St. Mary’s University
Tarleton State University
Texas Christian University
United States Air Force Academy
University of Alabama
University of Arizona
University of California-Irvine
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Chicago
University of Florida
University of Houston
University of Iowa
University of Michigan
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Oklahoma
University of Pikeville
University of Strathclyde
University of Tennessee
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Dallas
University of Virginia
University of Western Ontario
University of Wisconsin- Whitewater
Wake Forest University
Walsh University
Washington University in St. Louis
Follow the action and awards announcements on Twitter @NeeleySchoolTCU #valuesandventures and Facebook www.facebook.com/neeleyschoolofbusinessattcu. The public is welcome at all stages of the event. A full schedule is available at www.neeley.tcu.edu/vandv.
For more information: www.neeley.tcu.edu/vandv
