Five finalists have been selected for the second annual Duquesne New Venture Challenge (DNVC)-an entrepreneurship competition open to the Pittsburgh community and beyond, hosted by the Duquesne University Palumbo-Donahue School of Business.
"We are thrilled to have an even bigger pool of entrants in this year for our second edition of the DNVC," says Dr. Dean McFarlin, dean of the School of Business. "Our judges evaluated 77 entries, and the 2020-21 competition finalists represent a compelling set of ideas. All of this is a testament to the strength of our entrepreneurship program, which includes our wonderful faculty and great facilities."
The finalist teams and their products are (in alphabetical order):
Coinread-a two-sided platform that provides readers with per article content access while allowing publishers to sell content without a recurring subscription
Mindtrace-technology that pairs 3D brain maps with measures of a neurosurgery patient's behavioral performance, simulating surgical resection plans and predicting cognitive outcomes
Precision Neuroscopics-novel medical products designed to improve the quality, efficacy and diagnostic capabilities of electroencephalography (EEG) devices
SimpL-an app that uses computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) to track exercise movements and provide real-time audio and visual feedback
StudioMe-a "remote studio" platform designed to help customers virtually conduct professional live-streaming, content recording or video conferencing.
The finalists will have access to Duquesne's Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship maker space and receive consultation from a mentor with relevant entrepreneurship experience. Each team also will have free access to Palo Alto's LivePlan software-the world's leading business plan software designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Finalists will submit an executive summary, business plan and PowerPoint presentation, and will present their submission live and take questions from a panel of judges. Cash prizes totaling $30,000 will be distributed to the finalists. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finalist teams also will receive 10 hours of free legal education services from the Duquesne School of Law and five hours of free consulting services from the University's Small Business Development Center. Finalist presentations will be held on Saturday, March 27.
"Year two of the DNVC saw a diverse set of high-quality entries doing everything from leveraging new technologies to tackling social challenges during COVID times," says Dr. Michele Migliuolo, DNVC competition coordinator and executive director of the Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship. "We are pleased to have received entries from such a large geographic region as well as entries from many schools at Duquesne, including business."
Funding for the DNVC is thanks to the generosity of Bob Mallet, a member of Duquesne's Board of Directors and former president and chief executive officer of Mallet and Company.
For more information, visit www.duq.edu/nvc.
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