Mayo Business Plan Competition

The Vortex Wins 2020 Mayo Business Competition

The 2020 Mayo Business Plan Competition took place on Thursday, April 23, 2020. A recording of the competition is available here. Congratulations to the competition winners, Jake DeGennaro ’21 (mechanical engineering) and Alexander Iorio ’21 (civil engineering) of team The Vortex. The team won the $30,000 grand prize. The Vortex developed a device of the same name that provides an innovative way of maintaining and disposing waste fishing line. Recreational fishing maintains an important role in sustainable management of resources, economic development, and data collection. It is vital to limit pollution and continue working towards sustainable recreational fishing habits. The Vortex allows recreational anglers a quick and easy way to help limit their environmental footprint and keep our waters pollution-free. Second place went to Sree Chinta '22 (biology), Arshya Chopra '22 (accounting), and Svanik Shirodkar '22 (computer science) of team EmpowerMe. In third place were Brian Fardman '20 (health and exercise science) and Alicia Podwojniak '20 (biology) of team BAC Lock. EmpowerMe and BAC Lock were awarded $20,000 and $10,000, respectively. Congratulations to all of this year’s participants!
2020 MBPC Final Teams Selected

The final three teams competing in the 2020 Mayo Business Plan Competition have been selected. The final three teams competing in the 2020 Mayo Business Plan Competition have been selected. The Finals will be recorded on April 23, 2020. A recording will be made available online. "Now in its 8th year, the Mayo Business Plan Competition allows our TCNJ students from across campus to challenge the status quo and develop creative and innovative solutions to real problems and opportunities," said Competition Chair, Gloria E. Weissbart ’78, SVP, Treasury Management Consultant, Wells Fargo Bank. "This year our final three teams displayed passion for their solutions and developed business plans that encompassed the personal aspect of their mission to address problems that are relevant and important to our society. The business plan competition at TCNJ is a cornerstone of our commitment to our students’ professional preparedness and entrepreneurial thinking. BAC Lock Brian Fardman ’20 Health & Exercise Science Alicia Podwojniak ’20 Biology Drunk driving is a serious problem that continues to plague our country. As educational initiatives, various laws, and strict no tolerance policies have failed to eradicate this problem, alternative solutions must be considered. BAC Lock is an innovative approach to increasing self-awareness and staff supervision of intoxicated persons leaving a bar. Customers are encouraged to place their keys in our BAC lockers that are guarded with ID scanner and breathalyzer software. By checking BAC before leaving the bar, customers become more aware of their alcohol consumption, bar staff become aware of who is leaving their facility, and under what conditions. EmpowerMe Sree Chinta ’22 Biology Arshya Chopra ’22 Accounting Svanik Shirodkar ’22 Computer Science EmpowerMe is the solution to providing young people with an affordable, evidence-based, gamified app to monitor, improve, and understand their mental health. Millennials rely heavily on their smartphones for daily tasks and given that there is a stigma associated with seeking help for mental health, mental health apps can bridge the gap to ultimately seeking professional help and fostering ongoing therapy. The Vortex Jake DeGennaro ’21 Mechanical Engineering Alexander Iorio ’21 Civil Engineering The Vortex is a device that provides an innovative way of maintaining and disposing waste fishing line. Recreational fishing maintains an important role in sustainable management of resources, economic development, and data collection. It is vital to limit pollution and continue working towards sustainable recreational fishing habits. The Vortex allows recreational anglers a quick and easy way to help limit their environmental footprint and keep our waters pollution-free.
2021 MBPC Semi-Finalists Announced

The six semi-finalist teams have been selected to advance to the next round in the Mayo Business Plan Competition. On March 3, the semi-finalists will deliver a presentation before a panel of judges, and the finals will be held virtually on March 31, 2021 at 5:00 pm. The finals are open to the TCNJ campus community and public. If you are interested in attending the virtual finals, contact Stephanie Horner at horners@tcnj.edu. The top prize of $30,000 will be awarded to the winning team with prizes of $20,000 and $10,000 for second and third place teams. Team Zero Joaquin Garcia - Senior - Marketing major Jay Lim - Senior - Chemistry major Thomas Fitzgerald - Senior - Finance major Axel Delakowski - Senior - Biomedical Engineering major Team Zero’s mission is to offer the first renewable, naturally-biodegradable, and home-compostable alternative to single use cups, through use of chitin from seafood waste. Harvested chitin is then modified into chitosan to form a durable bioplastic material. The company will begin with small-scale manufacturing paired with an aggressive social media campaign to generate interest in young college students and progressive distributors. As demand increases, we will scale up production using industry-proven techniques as well as increase our list of distributors. Inspirin Rishi Shah - Freshman - Biology major Aryan Chintis - Freshman - Economics major Saahil Patel - Freshman - Biology major Inspirin is a company that aims to find a solution to the lack of telemedicine access in certain areas and amongst specific populations. While it is well-known that telehealth is convenient and highly useful, many people cannot afford the technology to use telemedicine. Another issue is the lack of access to internet and broadband that is necessary for telehealth appointments. Without the right tools to utilize it, telehealth is rendered useless. There are four groups specifically that disproportionately suffer the burden of a lack of access to internet and technology: rural communities, people of low income, elderly individuals, and racial minorities. In a time like now, in the midst of a global pandemic caused by COVID-19, it is more important than ever that these vulnerable populations have the tools to obtain access to safe, effective healthcare. FUNDamentals Avina Sharma - Sophomore - Secondary Ed major Matthew Seitz - Sophomore - Accounting major Julia Landi - Sophomore - English major The purpose of FUNDamentals is to help inspire and empower college students, especially those from underserved communities, to take ownership of their financial literacy and to better prepare them for the future. We will operate as a nonprofit organization. Our mission is to share our passion for financial literacy and inspire people to take charge of their finances. Our goal is to grow into a nation-wide movement making financial literacy fun and uncomplicated. We also want to provide those in low-income schools with the resources to gain a better education in this area as our focus is to give back to the community and to those who are less fortunate than us. Midnight Munchies Christopher Camacho - Senior - Finance major Dominic Morency - Senior - Finance major Midnight Munchies is a mobile food concession trailer that plans to serve The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) community in Ewing Township, NJ.The idea for Midnight Munchies was derived directly from these two TCNJ Lion’s experiences with the late-night dining options on campus. The current late-night food options lack quality, affordability, and diversity of food type. Let's Diversifi Shrey Shah - Sophomore - Biology major Rohan Singh - Sophomore - Biology major Afash Haleem - Sophomore - Biology major Waez Umer - Sophomore - Biology major Let’s Diversifi (DBA: Diversifi) seeks to spark the next generation of underrepresented middle and high school students to pursue healthcare careers through live virtual role modeling experiences with healthcare professionals from similar backgrounds. By empowering and inspiring students to become the next generation of healthcare leaders, Diversifi will change the face of healthcare, one role modeling experience at a time. Spotz Rishi Konkesa - Senior - Economics major Alioune Gueye - Senior - Marketing major SpotZ’s mission is to improve college students’ rental experience across America by providing an efficient and transparent marketplace of listings. Students are already inundated by college pressures, and they shouldn’t feel pressured while finding off-campus accommodations. Landlords and property owners will also benefit from SpotZ from our rental management and market research technologies. In turbulent times, landlords and students need a partner to help them handle the changing rental market; SpotZ is competitively positioned to be that partner.
2020 Mayo Business Plan Competition Kickoff

Team registration for the 2020 Mayo Business Plan Competition (MBPC) is now open. Please review information, including timelines, confidentiality, and distribution of prize money, on the competition website https://mbpc.tcnj.edu/. All teams must submit an Intent to Compete form by November 29, 2019. Teams will be able to sign up after that date. You will, however, have time after that to finalize team members. Please review the timeline thoroughly. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School of Business at business@tcnj.edu.
Code the Future Wins 2019 Mayo Business Plan Competition

Congratulations to Sarah Sleiman and Pulkit Gupta of team Code the Future for winning first place in the 2019 Mayo Business Plan Competition. Sleiman and Gupta are both senior business students. They won the $30,000 prize money for their business Code the Future. Code the Future is on the mission of increasing the number of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates by running fun coding programs for students in grades 2 through 8. Some of these programs include robotics building and programming, programming self-driving cars, and even coding your own song! Learn more at codethefuture.io. Ben Schulman, senior, finance, Thomas Holland, junior, computer science, and Harrison Kelly, senior, interdisciplinary business, members of team Symbiotic Games won $20,000 as the second place team. Sai Batchu, senior, biology, and Justin Fernandez, senior, finance, took home $10,000 as team SixthSense Technologies. Congratulations to all of this year’s participants!
2019 MBPC Finalists Selected

The final three teams competing in the 2019 Mayo Business Plan Competition have been selected. Come see them present during the live final event on Wednesday, April 3, 5:00 p.m., in the Mayo Concert Hall. This is event is open to the public! The first place team will be awarded $30,000 in prize money, second place $20,000, and third place $10,000. Code the Future Pulkit Gupta, senior, accounting Sarah Sleiman, senior, management Code the Future is on the mission of increasing the number of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates by running fun coding programs for students in grades 2 through 8. Some of these programs include robotics building and programming, programming self-driving cars, and even coding your own song! Learn more at codethefuture.io. Sixth Sense Sai Batchu, senior, biology Justin Fernandez, senior, finance SixthSense Technologies has developed a lightweight headgear that uses ultrasonic technology to warn users of dangers outside their scope of vision through haptic feedback. Symbiotic Games Ben Schulman, senior, finance Thomas Holland, junior, computer science Harrison Kelly, senior, interdisciplinary business Symbiotic Games is an entertainment company that creates, develops, and publishes party games in a digital and tabletop format to be enjoyed with friends, family, and new acquaintances.
2019 MBPC Semi-Finalist Teams Announced

The six semi-finalist teams have been selected to advance to the next round in the Mayo Business Plan Competition. On March 6, the semi-finalists will deliver a presentation before a panel of judges, and three teams will advance to the finals on April 3. The finals are open to the public on April 3, 5:00 p.m., in the Mayo Concert Hall. A top prize of $30,000 will be awarded to the winning team with prizes of $20,000 and $10,000 for second and third place teams. AeroLife Giovanna Costa, sophomore, civil engineering Anthony Prisco, senior, finance Peter Stahl, junior, mechanical engineering Jordan Sinoway, sophomore, computer engineering AeroLife is a team of engineering-minded individuals, each equipped with the specialized knowledge integral to making AeroLife a reality. A passion for technology, aviation, and medicine drives our team to develop a business that will not only be financially successful, but save lives and improve society in the process. Buddy Brooke Schwartzman, senior, international studies Sophie Crossley, senior, communication studies Buddy is a harm reduction app targeting new marijuana consumers. The app is looking to neutrally provide information without promoting marijuana use. Code the Future Pulkit Gupta, senior, accounting Sarah Sleiman, senior, management Code the Future is on the mission of increasing the number of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates by running fun coding programs for students in grades 2 through 8. Some of these programs include robotics building and programming, programming self-driving cars, and even coding your own song! Learn more at codethefuture.io. LastChekk Justin Brach, senior, finance Kate Galgano, senior, finance Matthew Liebers, senior, finance With a goal of connecting students with off-campus communities, LastChekk is a platform that helps students secure off-campus housing when their respective institution does not have enough space to accommodate them. Sixth Sense Sai Batchu, senior, biology Justin Fernandez, senior, finance SixthSense Technologies has developed a lightweight headgear that uses ultrasonic technology to warn users of dangers outside their scope of vision through haptic feedback. Symbiotic Games Ben Schulman, senior, finance Thomas Holland, junior, computer science Harrison Kelly, senior, interdisciplinary business Symbiotic Games is an entertainment company that creates, develops, and publishes party games in a digital and tabletop format to be enjoyed with friends, family, and new acquaintances.
2019 Mayo Business Plan Competition Registration Opens

The 2019 Mayo Business Plan Competition is officially underway. The intent-to-compete registration window is November 2-30, 2018. Full details and the registration form are available here. Be sure to read all information carefully.
MBPC Named Top Competition

The Mayo Business Plan Competition was listed in the top eight best competitions for students to consider entering, by Business News Daily. The full story is available here. Students interested in competing in the 2018-2019 Competition are encouraged to attend an information session on Thursday, September 27, 6:00 P.M. in the Business Building Lounge. Email Nicole Beagin with questions.
Team MARCo Wins 2018 Mayo Business Plan Competition

Congratulations to Jacob Boyle and Ryan Chiu of team MARCo for winning first place in the 2018 Mayo Business Plan Competition. Boyle, a junior mechanical engineering student, and Chiu, an accounting student, won the $30,000 prize money for their work on MARCo Technologies. MARCo Technologies’ mission is to assist individuals suffering from mental illness by introducing a caring and compassionate robotic companion. Our current MARCo prototype aims to address the imbalance between mental health professionals and patients while also providing innovative mental health treatment and therapy through MARCo’s built-in features. These features include facial recognition technology, conversational abilities, a touch screen, heartbeat sensor, and LED responsive eyes. Our Tsunami came in second place, winning $20,000 in prize money, and Sneaker Creatures came in third place, winning $10,000. Congratulations to all of this year's participants!
2018 MBPC Finalists Announced

The final three teams competing in the 2018 Mayo Business Plan Competition have been selected. Come see them present during the live final event on Wednesday, April 4, 5:00 p.m., in the Mayo Concert Hall. This is event is open to the public! "Now in its seventh year, the Mayo Business Plan Competition attracts some truly excellent business plans from TCNJ students from across campus,” said William Keep, Dean, School of Business. “This year's final three teams illustrate the wide range of ideas and the quality of work that have become the hallmark of this competition." MARCo Jacob Boyle, junior. mechanical engineering; Ryan Chiu, junior, accounting MARCo Technologies’ mission is to assist individuals suffering from mental illness by introducing a caring and compassionate robotic companion. Our current MARCo prototype aims to address the imbalance between mental health professionals and patients while also providing innovative mental health treatment and therapy through MARCo’s built-in features. These features include facial recognition technology, conversational abilities, a touch screen, heartbeat sensor, and LED responsive eyes. Our Tsunami Neil Desai, junior, finance; Erika Hausheer, junior, finance; Sung Min Kwon, senior, marketing; Dennis Tuohy, junior, political science/economics We are striving to make a wave of a change in the Ocean Rescue community through improving rescue response times. Unlike police and fire, which are also both city-funded lifesaving forces, lifeguards lack a standard quality uniform. Our Tsunami aims to overcome this issue and deliver sustainable, durable, and affordable board-shorts that withstand rough ocean conditions. Sneaker Creatures Benjamin Cutler, freshman, economics; Jonathan Lugo, freshman, management Sneaker Creatures engage in the buying and selling of sneakers and other athletic apparel. Our goal is to provide a simple marketplace for people to find high quality and affordable merchandise. If you are looking for fashionable sportswear our website, SneakerCreature.com will be the place to go.
2018 MBPC Semi-Finalists Announced!

2018 Mayo Business Plan Competition Semi-Finalists Announced The six semi-finalist teams have been selected to advance to the next round in the Mayo Business Plan Competition. On March 7, the semi-finalists will deliver a presentation before a select panel of judges, and only three teams will advance to the finals on April 4. The finals are open to the public on April 4, 5:00 p.m., in the Mayo Concert Hall. A top prize of $30,000 will be awarded to the winning team with prizes of $20,000 and $10,000 for second and third place teams. Genesis Stephen Boncimino, senior, accounting; Lawrence Maloney, senior, accounting At Genesis, we are striving to redefine the “salon” as we know it and create an environment where everyone and anyone can enjoy beautification and grooming. Through strategic partnerships with local businesses we hope to nurture a community of mutual success and innovation. We hope to be the catalyst that allows our partners to move beyond business, and find newfound growth as part of the Genesis family. HydroBand Lydia Christiano, junior, marketing; Tyler Conde, senior, mechanical engineering; Courtney Dietrich, sophomore, economics; Klaudia Gil, junior, marketing Our team at HydroBand recognized the need to ensure every individual can track their hydration levels with simplicity and elegance to improve overall health, lifestyle, and well-being. HydroBand is an adjustable band that encircles an individual’s water bottle to track the change in weight to determine water intake. MARCo Jacob Boyle, junior. mechanical engineering; Ryan Chiu, junior, accounting MARCo Technologies' mission is to assist individuals suffering from mental illness by introducing a caring and compassionate robotic companion. Our current MARCo prototype aims to address the imbalance between mental health professionals and patients while also providing innovative mental health treatment and therapy through MARCO's built-in features. These features include facial recognition technology, conversational abilities, a touch screen, heartbeat sensor, and LED responsive eyes. Our Tsunami Neil Desai, junior, finance; Erika Hausheer, junior, finance; Sung Min Kwon, senior, marketing; Dennis Tuohy, junior, political science/economics We are striving to make a wave of a change in the Ocean Rescue community through improving rescue response times. Unlike police and fire, which are also both city-funded lifesaving forces, lifeguards lack a standard quality uniform. Our Tsunami aims to overcome this issue and deliver sustainable, durable, and affordable board-shorts that withstand rough ocean conditions. Sneaker Creatures Benjamin Cutler, freshman, economics; Jonathan Lugo, freshman, management Sneaker Creatures engage in the buying and selling of sneakers and other athletic apparel. Our goal is to provide a simple marketplace for people to find high quality and affordable merchandise. If you are looking for fashionable sportswear our website Sneaker Creature.com will be the place to go. Sparrow Oommen Alexander, junior; Gregory Vaks, senior Sparrow is a mobile and web application that generates itineraries matching user preferences such as budget, location, and type of outing with local venues. Users can reserve a movie, dinner, and game of bowling all within one single application. With one click you can book it, save it, or share it with friends and family to get their input. You also have the ability to customize those recommendations by replacing one activity with a more appealing one.
Interview with MBPC Finalist, Elementary Robotics

Interview with chief executive officer, Sarah Sleimen.
2018 Notice to MBPC Teams

This year we made a few important changes in the competition in the areas of confidentiality, prize money disbursement, and the evaluation rubric.
Registration opens for “Intent To Compete.”

As few as one TCNJ student can register an “Intent To Compete.”

Welcome

2020 Competition

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