Student entrepreneurs in regional competition

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Top student entrepreneurs from seven local colleges and universities will compete on April 15 in the Regional Business Plan competition.

This inaugural competition will bring together students from Grand Valley State University, Aquinas College, Calvin College, Cornerstone University, Davenport University, Grand Rapids Community College and Hope College. The participants are all first place winners from competitions at each institution.  

The top winner will receive $3,000 and an in-kind package from area service providers designed to outfit the business with everything it needs to get started. The second place winner will receive $1,500 and the third place winner will receive $1,000.

The competition will be held at Davenport University, Meeting Room A-B, 6191 Kraft Ave., from 6-9 p.m. on April 15. The judges are Lance Tennant, senior vice president of new business development at Cascade Engineering; Daniel S. Barcheski, founder and CEO of Axios Inc. and Catherine Ettinger, partner and president of Foxbright.

The event is free and open to the public, and media coverage is encouraged.

The event is sponsored by the West Michigan Colleges and Universities Group, a consortium of the seven participating colleges and universities with the goal of collectively supporting student-oriented entrepreneurial events such as this competition.