Senior photonic science and engineering major Rafaela Frota beat out six other finalist companies with her concept for Wawwe (We Are What We Eat.) The mobile app uses data and algorithms to help people decide whether they should eat something based on their personal dietary needs.

The competition rewards students who develop solutions intended to impact society鈥檚 biggest problems.

In under seven minutes, finalists had to present the problem they intended to solve, the solution they planned to offer, and a sustainable and scalable business model that could deliver the solution. Then they had up to three minutes to answer questions from a panel of three judges, who selected winners based on criterion such as concept, social impact, context, performance measures and presentation.

鈥淭he inspiration for Wawwe came from my desire to help give confidence and support to people diagnosed with a diet restrictive illness and were feeling lost and overwhelmed,鈥� says Frota, who came up with the idea at 14 after watching food documentaries such as Food Inc. 鈥淢y dream is to work with hospitals across the nation to bring Wawwe to as many patients as possible and increase their health through easy access, easy to understand personalized nutrition.鈥�

Frota was awarded a $2,500 scholarship from State Farm Insurance, which sponsors the contest. Second-place finishers took home $1,250 and third-placed earned $500 in scholarship funding.

About the Competition

麻豆原创鈥檚 Social Venture Competition differs from other business contests because at the core of each business is a greater purpose to serve individuals or a community. Cameron Ford, director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Blackstone LaunchPad, created the competition in 2015 to provide a platform for students to learn how to utilize entrepreneurship to address complex, social problems.

鈥淥ne of the challenges with social ventures or enterprises is evaluating their success,” Ford says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a little bit different from a standard corporate [measurement,] like sales, revenue, number of customers and stuff like that. Here you鈥檙e looking at things a little more broadly, like impact, which can be pretty difficult to measure.鈥�

鈥溌槎乖� has really paved the way for us to have access to so many more opportunities … and we鈥檙e incredibly grateful for that.鈥� 鈥撎�David Thomas Moran 鈥�14MFA

Last year, texts and technology doctoral student听David Thomas Moran 鈥�14MFA听and听art major听Nathan Selikoff 鈥�04,听a Burnett Honors Scholar,听were able to overcome this challenge. They won the competition with their transportation tech startup Omnimodal. The platform merges real-time public transportation information with already existing navigation apps so users can use their phones to get around easier. Their win at 麻豆原创 led them to even greater success in the local community as they went on to win Central Florida鈥檚 Rally Social Enterprise Accelerator.

鈥淭he [Social Venture Competition] reminded Nathan and I that it鈥檚 so important to break out of our innovation silos and actively engage with all the incredible opportunity spaces across the Central Florida startup community here at 麻豆原创 and beyond,鈥� says Moran.听鈥溌槎乖� has really paved the way for us to have access to so many more opportunities since we won last year and we鈥檙e incredibly grateful for that.鈥�

This Year鈥檚 Winners

About thirty minutes before this year鈥檚 competition, two finalists realized they had similar ideas for their long-distance ride sharing app 鈥� down to the same statistics used in their presentation.听 Rather than compete against each other, senior information technology major Eliecer Vera and junior computer science major Breezy Baldwin recognized an opportunity to be more successful through partnership

鈥淚t was really bizarre how identical they were. We both realized that neither of us would be likely to win the competition if we had the exact same pitch, but that it applied to our companies as well. We both can鈥檛 go head-to-head in the exact same market,鈥� says Baldwin.

鈥淲e both realized that neither of us would be likely to win the competition if we had the exact same pitch.鈥� 鈥撎鼴reezy Baldwin, 麻豆原创 student

Within minutes Baldwin, who has been working on her idea for 18 months and Vera, who developed his four months ago, managed to successful merge their presentations and companies under the name Hchhkr (pronounced 鈥渉itchhiker鈥�.) So much so that they earned second place. They plan to continue working together.

Third place was awarded to Connected Wise, a smart onboard device that aims to improve safety in rural areas by allowing drivers to communicate with one another about road conditions. The company鈥檚 founders, Enes Karaaslan and Burak Sen, developed the idea from the areas of focus in their civil engineering doctoral studies.

The Food Exchange, developed by junior finance major Aurora Pavlish-Carpenter and first-year environmental engineering major Talia Gratz, earned an honorable mention and received $250. The app focuses on reducing food waste by allowing users to trade their unwanted food with other users nearby.

Other Finalists

Three more companies qualified to present at the competition:

Students who are interested in pursuing any venture, social or otherwise, are encouraged to visit the Blackstone LaunchPad on the first floor of the Student Union to get one-on-one coaching from someone with experience or expertise.

While pursuing a business degree can certainly be helpful in starting a business, students from every discipline can find success in the free market.

鈥�Entrepreneurship allows students to solve problems in the world that they really care about,鈥� says Kourtney Dinkins, operations manager at 麻豆原创鈥檚 Blackstone LaunchPad. 鈥淚t’s your opportunity to follow your own path and beat your own drum and to solve a problem that is important to you.鈥�

Whether you鈥檙e trying to grow your business or are stuck in the first stages of conception, 麻豆原创 has resources that can help you to develop a thriving company. Here are a few of the services you can find on campus:

Coaching Through Blackstone

Located on the first floor of the Student Union, the Blackstone LaunchPad听is the center for free business coaching and development. The first step to getting help is to go in and discuss your idea.

鈥�Entrepreneurship allows students to solve problems in the world that they really care about. It’s your opportunity to follow your own path and beat your own drum.鈥�

From there, students are paired up with one of 15 mentors experienced in their field of focus. Coaches work one-on-one with students to guide them through innovation, business modeling and business-growth strategies. During this process students also become familiar with 麻豆原创鈥檚 Ideator system, a networking platform that allows students to share ideas, find partnerships and track their success.

Blackstone鈥檚 coaching and services are available to 麻豆原创 alumni up to three years after graduation, as long as they had one appointment in the LaunchPad while they attended 麻豆原创.

One tip 麻豆原创鈥檚 Blackstone LaunchPad operations manager Kourtney Dinkins suggests before seeking help from Blackstone is to Google your idea to see if it already exists and to learn more about your competitors.

Building Products and Collaborations in the StarterSpace

Located on the first floor of Business Administration Building I, the StarterSpace听provides 1,500 square feet of collaborative work areas. The space includes free access to a 3-D printer, whiteboards, sewing machines, electrical tools, software-equipped iMacs, an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and a Vive virtual reality system to help students create prototypes for their businesses.

There is no need to apply or sign up to use StarterSpace or its resources. Students can stop by 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday.

Experience and Funding Through Competitions

Each academic year, two competitions allow students to put their business planning skills to the test for the chance to win funding for their startup. Full- and part-time students are eligible to enter as individuals or in teams.

鈥淎 lot of times our students have never pitched their idea in front of investors, so [competitions are about] getting [that] experience.鈥�

鈥淎 lot of times our students have never pitched their idea in front of investors,鈥� says Dinkins. 鈥淭hey’ve never even created a pitch deck, so it’s getting the experience to be able to comfortably explain what your business idea is and why we should care.鈥�

Every spring, the Joust New Venture Competition听awards the top four competitors up to $75,000 in cash and services provided by local sponsors and donors. Contestants must successfully submit an application, present a 12-minute maximum business pitch and complete a 20-minute question鈥揳nd-answer session with the judges.

In the fall, the Social Venture Competition听rewards student who create an impact by solving social issues through entrepreneurship, with more than $4,000 in cash split among four winners. After correctly submitting their applications, finalists must present their eight-minute proposals and respond to four minutes of questioning from the judges.

Advanced Support Through UPSTARTS

Student businesses that have generated revenue for at least six months can get extra help through the UPSTARTS Student Venture Accelerator.

This program provides qualifying students with free office space, office equipment, advanced coaching resources and collaboration space. UPSTARTS Ventures will also have extensive access to the听StarterSpace.

Teams of two or more students in good academic standing with 麻豆原创 are accepted and typically demonstrate a focus to building their business. There is no set number of businesses that are accepted into the program, but usually 12-15 are supported each year.

Students must apply by the end of the spring semester to be eligible for support through the following academic year.

Online Resources

Using a 听can help solidify your business plan. If you鈥檙e unsure how to fill out the chart, watch this 听for some help.

For help with developing revenue streams, use a social blueprint.

For assistance creating a financial model, check out SCORE鈥檚 .

The easy application requires students to answer six questions about their proposed venture. The questions focus on the possible social impact and financial sustainability of the business model. Select applicants will then be invited to pitch their idea to a panel of judges at the competition Nov. 15 from 3-5 p.m. in the Starter Space. The top venture idea wins a $2,000 scholarship and the four runners-up will also receive funding.

Students may get creative in finding a cause that鈥檚 meaningful to them to inspire their venture idea. Winning startups from previous years include a shoe company that provided jobs to impoverished citizens of Colombia and a non-profit that provided free health screenings to the homeless. By holding the annual competition, the CEL encourages students to use their creativity and business savvy for good.