Today we unveil the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge finalists in all three contests, and you get a chance to vote for your favorite plans in the Community and FIU Tracks. The People’s Pick competition, now in its 6th year, is open for voting.
The contestants: The top six finishers in both the Community and FIU Tracks. With just a couple days’ notice, the finalists presented their elevator pitches in Miami Herald and FIU studios on the same day in early April.
To vote, here’s what to do:
Go to this link or click on the vote button on MiamiHerald.com/Challenge (top left). View any of the short videos of the finalists’ elevator pitches. To view the selections in the FIU track, click on the FIU Track tab.
Then scroll down to cast your ballot, voting for one video in each track. You may vote once per day.
Lastly, get out the vote! Give your favorite entrepreneur or team more support by asking your social networks to vote. In previous contests, we’ve had votes from all over the world. Follow along on Twitter with #mhbizplan.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. April 30. The business plans with the most votes in each track will be awarded the People’s Pick. The People’s Pick winners and the judges’ selections will be honored in the May 7 Business Monday section celebrating all the winners of the 14th annual Business Plan Challenge, sponsored by FIU’s Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center.
In the People’s Pick competition, the finalists are:
Community Track
* Abilene Alliance, by Dr. Felix A. de la Iglesia, Gary L.W.G. Robinson and Terence M. Dolak. Team’s mission is to develop and commercialize a group of custom-designed, multi-functional small molecules to treat Parkinson’s Disease.
* Agape Marine Ventures, by Barbara Wooden. By growing fish from eggs to maturity in cages 80 feet below the ocean’s surface, AMV aims to deliver fish that are free from mercury and contaminants and grown in an environmentally sound manner.
• Blend Craft Wines, by Jeffrey Maltzman. Company creates a winery onboard a cruise ship — giving guests unique, interactive behind-the-scenes winery experiences while generating additional onboard revenue for cruise lines.
• Medivantix, by Eduardo J. Garcia. Company aims to empower the healthcare consumer to make better-educated decisions and seeks to become a national resource for both consumers and professionals, through a variety of products and services.
• My Cup of Cake, by Sharon Tracy. A Sprinkle and a Dash’s first product is My Cup of Cake, a restaurant-quality Belgian chocolate soufflé that can be made in under three minutes in its own ceramic cup. More flavors are on the way.
• WedWu, by Darren Atinsky. WedWu’s “Name-Your-Own-Price” format allows brides and grooms to shop, bid and book services. Once a reasonable offer is accepted, WedWu selects from a pool of pre-qualified vendors.
FIU Track
* Algebra Express, by Natalie Paul. Company would provide online and mobile learning instruction in algebra and geometry, customized for the individual learner, more affordably and conveniently than personal tutoring.
• BidThatProject, by Alan S. Macken, Andrew Verzura and Seth Saperstein. A website application helps project owners locate, evaluate and hire qualified contractors for home improvement and/or construction projects, at the best available prices.
• Geopon, by Rachel Fiegler and Ido Meros. This single source solution provider combines geo-targeted coupons and savings, consumer reward services and mobile payment processing in an easy-to-use mobile application.
• LegalFileIt, by Milana V. Kuznetsova and Sean M. McNamara. A proprietary, Internet-based software platform cuts costs and increases revenue for law offices by enabling efficient financial, administrative and operational processes.
• Nutritionease, by Vanessa Y. Vazquez, Nilsa Roberts and Ana Castro. Company is dedicated to the convenient packaging and dispensing of portion-controlled diet kits related to healthcare issues and/or personal choice.
• Viewbox, by Drs. Luther Adair, Seth J. Crapp and Jonathan Johnson. Viewbox offers proprietary technology that allows users, such as radiologists and other medical professionals, easy mobile access to view, share and present medical images.
High School Track
Today, we are also unveiling our finalists in the High School Track. On May 7, we will profile the winners. The finalists are:
• Big Cheese Express, by Garrett Duell of Christopher Columbus High School. An express version of the popular Italian restaurant that offers the top 12 sellers of the lunch and dinner menus to be located near college campuses.
• Cupcake 1+2=3 Cookbook, by Nelysa Ventura of Edison Senior High. A cookbook that promotes quality parent-child bonding time and helps children learn how to read, do math and follow directions.
• Listen Up! No Time for Crime, by Jacob Stern of Ransom Everglades. Specializes in educating high school students about teen mistakes that may place them in adult criminal court, how the law affects them, and the consequences of criminal behavior.
• Music Connection, by Carlos Cruz-Taura of New World School of the Arts. A music management and development business that will nurture the development and promotion of emerging musicians throughout South Florida.
• RevWallet, by Celine Klepach of Ransom Everglades. A secure smartphone app that acts as a virtual wallet and organizer, eliminating the need to carry personal information susceptible to theft.
• TeamBeam, by Cole Press and Louis Segall of Ransom Everglades. Sports fans won’t have to navigate dozens of media outlets to find news they care about; TeamBeam “beams” it to them.
Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg