Steminist Squad Wins 1st Place in 2021 Rohrer New Venture Competition |
|
The 14th Annual Rohrer New Venture Competition took place virtually on Friday, April 23rd, where five finalist companies, Beach Picnic Co., Biodome, Elemeat, Power Gum, and Steminist Squad, pitched their business plans to an industry-leading judges panel.
This year proved to be competitive with many innovative ideas and high-growth business ventures. Judges Nick Bayer (CEO and Founder of Saxbys), Todd Buck (Managing Director and Head of Business Development & Client Service at Envestnet Analytics), Amber Deimler (Vice President of Sales at Demountable Concepts, Inc.), and Isabelle Kent (Executive Director of Philly Startup Leaders) were faced with the incredibly hard task of selecting the 2021 winners.
|
|
Steminist Squad, a community that aims to educate, empower, and inspire young women to pursue careers in STEM founded by Talia Tomarchio, took home First Place and was awarded $4,000 towards the venture. Steminist Squad provides professional development, a network of like-minded individuals, and a student centered learning approach to help women feel comfortable in a male-dominated industry.
Elemeat, founded by Skye Chang, was awarded Second Place and $2,000 in seed funding, followed by Third Place winner Beach Picnic Co., founded by Grace Koller, receiving $1,000. Biodome and Power Gum both received Honorable Mentions and $250. Great job to all of the 2021 competitors! Notably, this is the first year that the top 3 companies were all female founded and led.
After 14 years, the Rohrer New Venture Competition continues to provide an opportunity for students to expand their ventures and build their business models, all while receiving individual mentorship and guidance. Special thank you to coach Dr. Michael Dominik, our judges, in-kind sponsors, and presenting sponsors Pentec Health and South Jersey Industries, for making the competition possible!
|
|
|
|
Studio 231 is Rowan's central hub for ideation and prototyping. It is an experimental learning lab and maker-space dedicated to all students of any major. At Studio 231, students are provided with the resources they need to grow their ideas into profitable, scaleable, and sustainable businesses. "We go from helping you create ideas or come up with ideas for different problems all the way up to different forms of prototyping, so whether that's 3D printing, laser cutting, etc," says Andrew Bunoza, Studio 231 Supervisor. Watch an insider look at Studio 231 here! |
|
Calling all rising high school juniors and seniors! Learn how to conceive and grow your ideas at the 2021 Think Link an Entrepreneur Virtual Summer Academy. Applications are now open. Click here for more full program details and to apply. |
|
|
|
The RCIE is currently accepting applications for StartupRU, Rowan's 10-week summer startup accelerator program. The program offers financial, strategic, infrastructure, in-kind, and additional funding support. Click here for more program details or to apply and here for a video Q&A with Accelerator Coach Daniel James Scott. |
|
|
|
Applications are open for rising Rowan sophomores and juniors to form our fourth University Innovation Fellows leadership circle (UIF-4). This is your opportunity to join an exclusive group of students from around the globe and to establish a significant accomplishment in your life and career. Click here for more information or to apply. |
|
|
|
Join the Rowan and Glassboro communities for the premiere of Glassboro: the Beginnings, a 15-minute documentary about the finding of Glassboro. The screening will take place outdoors in the amphitheater behind Rowan's Business Hall, starting at 8pm on Monday, May 3rd, and will repeat every half-hour until 10pm.
Glassboro: the Beginnings was produced by RTF student Darien Brown, RTF alumna Elizabeth Dunn, and students of The GlassRoots Project, featuring student work including original soundtrack. Check out more details here and the official screening promo here. |
|
|
|
Want to discuss upcoming competitions, seed funding and scholarship opportunities, get pitch feedback, mentorship possibilities, or how the RCIE can help advance your business idea, startup, or entrepreneurial goals? Click here to schedule a meeting. |
|
E-NEWS TO KEEP YOU IN THE KNOW |
|
Biodome Competes in UPitchNJ |
Rowan Entrepreneurship Senior and Founder of Biodome, Jerah Siegal, was a finalist in the 2021 UPitchNJ Competition. UPitchNJ is an annual state-wide collegiate startup competition in partnership with Nokia Bell Labs. Students from 12 New Jersey universities pitched virtually to a panel of judges on April 23rd. Congratulations to all the competitors! |
|
|
Amber Deimler Leads Virtual Tour of Demountable Concepts, Inc. |
Amber Deimler, VP of Sales at Demountable Concepts, Inc., provided students with an in-depth look into the history and inner workings of Demountable Concepts, Inc. The presentation demonstrated how a small company located in Glassboro, NJ, grew from just two employees to a company composed of three entities: Demountable Concepts, MyGlassTruck, and DCI Fleet Repair. Thank you, Amber, for sharing your entrepreneurial spirit! |
|
|
2021 Think Like an Entrepreneur Program Featured on Rowan Today |
RCIE's 5th Annual Think Like an Entrepreneur program was recently featured on Rowan Today.
The program is offered at no cost to rising high school juniors and seniors thanks to the generous support of TD Bank Charitable Foundation, and students who complete earn college credit that can be used at Rowan or transferred wherever they attend. Read the full story here. |
|
|
Journey Into the Entrepreneurial Mindset with Dr. Santos |
Dr. Susana Santos, Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, was recently featured in a Faculty PROFile on the Rowan University Blog. She discussed her background and her belief that entrepreneurship is a life skill. Dr. Santos says, "We define entrepreneurship as a way of thinking, acting, and being that combines the ability to find and develop new opportunities and the will to act upon them." Read more here. |
|
|
Student Teams Participate in 2021 Global Scaling Challenge |
Two teams from Rowan's Scaling New Ventures course participated in the highly competitive 2021 Global Scaling Challenge sponsored by the University of New Mexico. Seventeen student teams from around the globe were tasked with evaluating three real-world technology firms that are tackling biological-based problems facing our century world. Read the full story here. |
|
|
Dr. Zane Judges Shark Tank Competition at OLMA |
Dr. Lee Zane had the privilege of judging a Shark Tank business competition at Our Lady of Mercy Academy (OLMA) in Newfield, NJ. The competition was a culmination of an entrepreneurship class project taught by Mrs. Domonique Revere. All of the teams presented business concepts live, and the presentations did not disappoint. Congratulations to first place winner Sydney Prescott for her idea Gaspass, an app that would compete with Gas Buddy. |
|
|
Dan Rhoton Hosts Coffee with an Entrepreneur |
Dan Rhoton, Executive Director of Hopeworks, met with students for RCIE's Coffee with an Entrepreneur. Dan talked about the importance of seeing the potential in everyone. He advised students to set goals and to hold themselves accountable by tracking personal results weekly, monthly, and yearly. Thank you for joining us, Dan! |
|
|
Social Entrepreneurship with Stephanie Raible, Ed.D. |
RCIE and the Rowan Center for Responsible Leadership teamed up to host Stephanie E. Raible, Ed.D. from the University of Delaware for The Opportunities and Challenges of Social Entrepreneurship. Dr. Raible focused on how to create a venture with a social mission and a sustainable business model. |
|
|
Want to stay connected with the RCIE? Subscribe to our mailing list today! |
|
|
|
The RCIE team is here to support you!
The RCIE team is on campus and available to all Rowan students, faculty, and staff! Feel free to schedule a meeting to discuss upcoming competitions, your ideas, receive pitch feedback, and more.
Please contact Jessica Vattima if you are interested in mentorship opportunities, such as becoming a "Startup Guru", or if you have interest in hosting a webinar, virtual workshop, site visit, or speaking event.
|
|
Rowan's entrepreneurship team wants to remind you to keep ideating, making, and doing, especially during times of uncertainty and change.
|
|
Pictured: L-R first row: Dr. Michael Dominik, Professor Katie Loesch, RCIE Grad Assistant Brandon Graham, Professor Gregory Payton; L-R second row: Professor Susan Meyer, Dr. Eric Liguori, Dr. Cheryl Bodnar, Studio 231 Supervisor Andrew Bunoza; L-R third row: Dr. Susana Santos, Dr. Lee Zane, RCIE Outreach & Events Associate Jessica Vattima, the Rowan Prof
|
|
For more information of any of Rowan's student entrepreneurship programs or to learn how you can support entrepreneurship at Rowan, please contact Jess (Wolk) Vattima at wolk@rowan.edu.
|
|
|
|
Rowan Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Business Hall 209
201 Mullica Hill Road | Glassboro, NJ 08028
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
