Y50k Winners 2007
The competition was a great success and we had some very high quality entries in all divisions of the competition! We had a total of 46 entries and are giving away a total of nine cash prizes for the competition this year (first, second, and third place prizes in all three divisions). Here are the results and accompanying public summaries for the winning teams:
For-Profit
1st Smooth-Easy
Smooth-Easy will sell freshly blended smoothie drinks through its custom-designed vending machines. The made-to-order drinks will come in a 16-ounce cup and contain frozen fruit and other natural ingredients. The smoothie market is currently $1.6 billion and growing at 18% CAGR (Mintel Group). In a survey of 30 students from a private high school in Connecticut, 100% said they would buy a freshly blended smoothie from a vending machine. Acting as its own distributor, Smooth-Easy projects that it will be able to install 900 machines by 2012, with total revenues of $10.2M and earnings (EBITDA) of $1.9M.
2nd Wild Alaskan Fishmeal Co.
Wild Alaskan Fishmeal Co. will make salmon meal and salmon oil from leftover fish parts that salmon processing plants do not use. The Company will sell Wild Alaskan fishmeal and oil to pet food manufacturers.
3rd ACCESS-Fashion
ACCESS-Fashion is a web-service that provides fashion coverage of high-profile events with the ability to purchase items directly. While some existing magazines and websites cover celebrity fashion, the ability to easily purchase the same styles worn by a star or a runway model is non-existent. ACCESS-fashion provides comprehensive fashion coverage of events, inspiring by informing and allowing a consumer to make on-line purchases of items that were previously unavailable or difficult to find. Some products will be exclusive to ACCESS-fashion and available in limited quantities, driving our target customers to check the site often. The website provides consumers with a more compact and pleasant shopping-experience.
Social Entrepreneurship
1st EcoInsure
EcoInsure will provide insurance products to manage the risks associated with land conservation. The primary product will be conservation easement defense insurance. EcoInsure will sell insurance directly to land trusts and other customers. The Company will incorporate in Delaware, be based in Hartford, CT, and operate throughout the continental United States.
2nd Post Pub
The current post-publication peer review process of scientific articles is inefficient. Our website www.PostPub.org will facilitate the post-publication peer review process by providing an experimenter-centric scientific articles forum. This website will allow scientists to post their comments and observations on any published life science report.
3rd The Artemis Project
The Artemis Project is an initiative to create an open source archive of the world’s truth commissions, which have been created in 31 countries as a means of post-conflict reconstruction.
Life Sciences
1st Aid Networks
Aid Networks (www.aid-n.com) is dedicated to improving patient safety around the world by applying novel software technologies to conventional medical devices. It’s initial target is the patient monitoring market.
2nd SeroLogic
SeroLogic has developed a simple blood test to detect ovarian cancer in its earliest stages – when it can be treated and cured. Currently, ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in women, with a five-year survival rate under 35%. Its high mortality rate is driven by the fact that roughly 75% of patients are not diagnosed until the cancer is well-advanced and has spread beyond the ovaries. Our business will generate revenue by selling easy-to-use blood test kits, manufactured under contract, that can be used in clinical laboratories and doctors’ offices to screen at-risk patients for ovarian cancer.
3rd SciCircuit
SciCircuit seeks to bring the scientific community together under one roof, creating a network of researchers and industry professionals. Our site will provide tools for researchers to enhance their work on a daily basis.
