Second Annual Business Launch Competition Offers $22K in Prizes

Competition Starts March 1; Open to All UMass Boston Students 

UMass Boston senior Michael Emery says before he won the Entrepreneurship Center-sponsored Business Launch Competition last year, he and fellow senior Kevin Schoenthaler were just a “couple of kids with a good idea.”

After winning the inaugural competition, Emery and Schoenthaler received the first orders for their company, Green Lightning Surfboards, and earned the attention of the Boston Business Journal and the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards.

This year, the winner of the Business Launch Competition will receive $20,000 in prizes, almost double last year’s prize amount:

• $2,500 cash and a legal consulting package provided by Goodwin Procter LLP, valued at $10,000
• 12 months access to inbound marketing solution provided by HubSpot, valued at $6,000
• 12 months access and support for email marketing solution, provided by Yesware, valued at $1,500
• 3 months access to the Venture Development Center

The second place finisher will receive $1,500 in cash and three months access to the Venture Development Center; the third place finisher will receive $1,000 and three months access to the Venture Development Center.

In addition, Silicon Valley Bank is providing a special startup banking consulting package to all technology-based finalists. All finalists will receive training for Yesware’s base freeware solution.

Winners will be chosen based on how much progress their startup company makes in two months. The competition starts March 1, with the awards ceremony scheduled for May 9 at 4:30 p.m. in the Venture Development Center. All UMass Boston students are eligible. Email vdc@umb.edu to request an application package.

About UMass Boston
With a growing reputation for innovative research addressing complex urban issues, the University of Massachusetts Boston, metropolitan Boston’s only public university, offers its diverse student population both an intimate learning environment and the rich experience of a great American city. UMass Boston’s eight colleges and graduate schools serve nearly 16,000 students while engaging local, national, and international constituents through academic programs, research centers, and public service activities. To learn more about UMass Boston, visit www.umb.edu.