Lewis University Students Earn Funds to Launch Business Plans
Published: April 24, 2023.
The annual Brother Joel Damian, FSC, Business Plan and Pitch Competition was held on April 13 during the Celebration of Scholarship on the Lewis University Campus in Romeoville.
Lewis University graduate and undergraduate students of all majors with a start-up idea or an existing business are encouraged to apply each year. Competitors may enter individually or in teams.
The winners from the Business Plan and Business Pitch competed for up to $17,000 value in cash awards and in-kind space in the Lewis University Regional Business Incubator, to help launch their ideas.
The 2023 winners are:
Grand Prize Winners
- Thomas Wakefield - “CreditCare”
- Amna Tasneem - “CoShop”
Top Graduate Degree Winner
Social Impact Winners
- Julia Quintero - “BasVi”
- Mauricio Ortiz - “Signer”
Crowd Favorite
- Sai Charan Pammi - “MedTour”
- Maxwell Mo - “Flyer Inventory Management Solutions”
Other competitors included
- Liam McGrain - “Automised”
- Sufian Ahmed - “Leonine Consulting Services”
- Sean McCamant - “Radical Wake n Surf”
- Annabella Zambrano - “Limpia”
- Syndell Garcia - “Safe Travels”
- Christian Mora - “fish r us”
- Nick Spirakis - “AR for Campus Environments”
Several organizational leaders served as judges for the competition.
- Mayor John Noak - Mayor of Romeoville
- Steve Wightkin - Chief Customer Officer Datatelligent
- Jason Altenbern - Vice President of Agency Advancement Little Friends, Inc.
- Patrick Lynch - President/CEO Christian Brothers Services
- Patrick Feehan - Chief Financial Officer Christian Brothers Services
- Ryan Allen - Founder Thought Odyssey Team
The business plan competition, which began in 2013, is the marquee event hosted by Lewis University’s Stahl Center for Entrepreneurship and the Regional Innovation Hub. The ongoing program is designed to help student entrepreneurs launch new business ideas from concept through commercialization.
For more information about the Innovation Hub, contact John Wightkin, coordinator of the Innovation Hub & Stahl Center, at jwightkin@lewisu.edu.
Lewis University is an innovative Catholic university offering market-relevant undergraduate and graduate programs to 6,500 students. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis University is nationally recognized for preparing intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, and globally-connected graduates who impact the world for the better. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.
