Coffee served in teabag-like pouches, an app that alerts parents when school buses are delayed, and an app that helps social media influencers and their audiences monetize their content are among the 2024 Winner of James and Eileen's Christmas Business Plan Competition and Pitch Event. Peter J. Tobin College of Business April 11th.
Five business plan proposals were submitted to a panel of judges. They asked student presenters questions about the capital needed to launch a business, the growth potential of a product, and anticipated competitors. Over 40 business plans entered the competition. In early April, the fields were sorted into 10 fields, and later down to 5 fields.
Daria Stepanova and Dayan C. Pita Garcia won first place for their development plan for Artesano, an artisanal coffee company that offers authentic Colombian coffee in tea bags. The pair said the first prize of $5,000 will go a long way towards the $20,000 needed to get the coffee to hotels and major airports, which they consider ideal early markets.
Daria and Dayan recently conducted a blind taste test. D'Angelo Center And 65 percent of those surveyed said they were impressed with Artesano, suggesting a broader market for beverages made from beans that are said to be less bitter than commercial coffee.
“Colombia is famous for its coffee. It's delicious,” said Daria from Moscow, Russia. Master of Business Administration degree entrepreneurship. Her travel-based YouTube channel, dali stepboasts 38,000 subscribers and will be a major marketing tool for Artesano.
“At first, I might have been a little intimidated to enter such a competitive industry,” Dahlia continued. “But we believe in the high quality of our products and competitive prices.”
Dayan is from Bucaramanga, Colombia and is pursuing an MBA. marketing management, said the two harvest their coffee beans from sustainable farms near her hometown. “We want to honor Colombian farmers, the real people behind this business,” she said. “We believe in maintaining social responsibility in business.”
The James and Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition is one of the major business development competitions in the university calendar. Mr. Christmas '70CBA, who served as one of the panelists, is taking on the role.
He was joined by Dr. Christopher P. LongProfessor, Management, Entrepreneurship, Consulting, Operations (MECO), Director, Executive in Residence Program; William D., Dr. LeiselMECO Professor. Joan Lacanina '88CBAManaging Director of a global investment firm KKR&Co., Ltd.and Razia Khan-Basdeo '16TCB, '20MBA, Senior Manager Risk and Compliance, Business Consulting Firm Protiviti.
Also in attendance was Dr. Long's daughter, Audrey Long. He started his online activities at the age of 13. retail industry inspired by the tv series gossip girl. Now, more than four years later, the business boasts six-figure revenues for him.
“You have to find your passion, learn the value of good marketing, and incorporate that passion into your life,” Audrey, now 18, told St. John's student entrepreneurs. “First and foremost, you have to start.”
John Moussari (3rd year) computer science student of Leslie H. and William L. Collins Graduate School of Professional Studies, agreed. John will use his second prize of $2,000 to develop Bus Now, an app that alerts parents to delays and other issues on local school bus routes.
John, who lives in Flushing, New York, said he sees a potentially robust market in suburban school districts across the country. School districts will be charged an average monthly fee of $39 per bus, and he plans to grow the business by appealing directly to parents, road safety advocates and parent-teacher associations.
“More than 26 million students use school buses to get to school,” John said. “However, there appears to be a lack of clear communication between students, parents, and schools. This app allows school officials to communicate directly with parents.”
Third-place finisher James Bailey '18CPS said his planned app, Bridge, would “bridge” the financial gap between social media influencers and their audiences, saying it was created by one or the other. He said he would make sure both sides benefit from the content. James said viewers will uniquely benefit from viral content involving influencers shared across the app, which is a distribution channel to audience members' social media platforms.
James, who is pursuing an MBA in entrepreneurship, said he has more than 100 business ideas saved on his phone. “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur,” he said. “That's my motivation.”
