Aaron Walker and his company Twist Resist won first place in the Technology Ventures Track of the Anderson Schools Business Plan Competition. Twist Resist is a patent pending rotational exercise machine which allows the user to target a number of areas of the musculature structure of the body, which were previously very difficult to target. Walker is a 2014 graduate of Anderson Schools.
Lockheed Martin, TVC and Sandia National Laboratories sponsored the $25,000 first place prize.
The judges also awarded the ABQid prize to Twist Resist. The prize consists of 90 days intensive mentoring in ABQid Accelerator and a $20,000 investment (pending investment from ABQid).
Zeke Chavez, a UNM student in Computer Science designed Bloc Venue, a web platform for renting lots and yards for events such as weddings and barbeques was the second place winner in the Technology Ventures Track of the competition.
His company received the $20,000 second place prize which was sponsored by CAaNES and TIP Endowment.
Obvious Engineering, a company founded by Joshua Martinez, Evan Reynolds, students in Mechanical Engineering and Victor Ayon, a Mechanical Engineering graduate is a company that plans to bring the tools and equipment for wild land firefighting into the 21st century.
VanDyke Software Inc. furnished the $15,000 third place prize in the entrepreneurial portion of the Anderson Business Plan Competition.
Entrepreneurial Ventures Track
Silver Leaf Farms, founded by Aaron Silverblatt-Buser and Elan Silverblatt-Buser won first place in the Entrepreneurial Ventures Track. Silver Leaf Farms plans to produce and distribute premium quality tomatoes and other vegetables for year round sale to local high-end restaurants, grocers and farmer’s markets.
Aaron Silverblatt-Buser graduated from Anderson Schools with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Entrepreneurial Studies. He is a master’s degree candidate in business administration. Elan Silverblatt-Buser is a non-degree candidate in International Business Graduate Studies.
The City of Albuquerque sponsored the $7,500 first place prize.
The Original Beverage Company, founded by Luca Ispirescu is a start-up producer of straight whiskeys. Ispirescu received an MBA from Anderson Schools in 2011 and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Economics at UNM.
Hartman Publishing sponsored the $5,000 second place prize.
Trace Ruscarean, an undergraduate in Computer Engineering and Colton Hall, an undergraduate in Economics are co-founders of Wyrdos. They received $2,500 from the Albuquerque Publishing Company, sponsor of the third place prize. Wyrdos is a software platform for video hosting that is focused on developing a video creation community.
Elevator Pitch Contest
The Elevator Pitch contest was sponsored by STC.UNM.
- Harry Pappas – development of disposable textile for prolonged disinfection in clinical settings
- Natalia Vladimirova and Humberto Lopez – breathing canopy design for a shade structure
- M. Frank Erasmus – targeted biologic therapy in Precursor B Acule Lymphoblastic Leukemia
- Jacqueline de Lora and Jonathan Dorsey – µSIM Tissue in a Sophisticate Box
- Jennifer Lake – cloud software system and wearable device used for managing patients with chronic illness
Each winner or winning team received $2,500 to support their idea.
UNM Distinguished Professor and Anderson School of Management Endowed Chair in Economic Development Sul Kassicieh said, “As the UNM Business Plan Competition celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, we want to express our gratitude to the business community of New Mexico. The supporters of the competition have donated over $1.5 million for this eco-system to thrive as well as many hours mentoring the teams, judging the competition and providing follow-on advice to the businesses that get started as a result. To all of our supporters, we say ‘thanks’.”