As the College of Business continues to grow, so do the programs within the College. Students are participating in an increasing number of case competitions due to the benefits they provide. Both the Supply Chain Forum and the Institute for Entrepreneurship held case and venture competitions this spring.
Supply Chain Forum Case Competition
This semester, the Supply Chain faculty kicked off the first case competition to be paired with the semi-annual Supply Chain Forum. The Supply Chain Management Forum’s mission is to “provide partners with the opportunity to interact with CSU supply chain faculty, outstanding supply chain students and other company partners…to discuss current trends and best practices in the various disciplines related to supply chain management.” Supply Chain Management students from multiple different levels applied to compete for cash prizes of $1,000, $750, and $500. Each team consisted of two upper-level and declared SCM concentration students as well as one or two entry-level SCM student(s) with an interest to be a part of the program in the coming semester. Each team was given information on the case in two stages: first, the information on the industry to become familiar with was released, and second, the case question they would be asked to address during the competition was given to them only 36 hours before the presentation. The case competition was integrated into the Forum schedule on the 5th of April and was successful in showcasing students’ ability to solve a real-world supply chain business related problem. The students were exposed to the supply chain industry, received feedback from relevant companies, and deepened relationships with business professionals. The winners of the completion are as follows:
- First Place: James Sutton, Andy Robinson, Kristin Thetford
- Second Place: Kendra Corso, Zach Patterson, Lauren Willis
- Third Place: Olu Ogidan, Jake Detweiler, Jonathan Schulein, Mackenzie Cotton
CSU Collegiate Challenge
The CSU Collegiate Challenge is a competition that inspires, connects and educates student entrepreneurs to improve their success trajectory by connecting them to the robust CSU and Northern Colorado entrepreneurial ecosystem. The third annual competition took place April 27. Presented by Colorado State University, the competition is a celebration of entrepreneurial spirit among students, innovation, leadership development and supporting ventures that make a difference. Twelve student companies from a 10-state region had the opportunity to compete for $25,000 in prizes and this competition serves as a qualifying round for the Capital Championship online regional tournament.
Teams receive feedback and insight from angel investors, experienced entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts through roundtables and panelists. “All students will gain knowledge, skills and connections from experienced entrepreneurs and experts to improve themselves and advance their business, whether or not they win,” said Christine Chin, interim director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship at CSU’s College of Business. “We have created a valuable, fun and educational experience as well as a realistic chance to earn capital for their companies.” The CSU Collegiate Challenge is open to actively enrolled undergraduate or graduate student entrepreneurs attending accredited universities or colleges, as well as those who have graduated in the past 12 months from an accredited university from the following states: Colorado, Arizona, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
The competition began with all competitors’ pitches during the opening round, from which four finalists were selected. Finalists made timed business presentations to a panel of expert judges who provided feedback and selected the winners. The winners from this years’ competition were:
- First place: Lyndsey Linke, SiVEC Biotechnologies, $20,000 prize
- Second place: Carmelo Mannino and Brandon Dewey, $5,000 prize
Competitions for students in the Supply Chain Forum as well as the Collegiate Challenge are essential to the growth of students and entrepreneurs at Colorado State University. The College of Business never ceases to amaze business professionals, angel investors and seasoned entrepreneurs with the skills our students bring to the table.
