UCLA Anderson Hosts 2013 Knapp Venture Competition

LOS ANGELES, May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Several teams of UCLA Anderson students will be vying for the top prize in the 2013 Knapp Venture Competition.  On May 14, 2013, five finalists will present their entrepreneurial business plans to a panel of judges, an event that is hosted by the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at UCLA Anderson School of Management and the Entrepreneur Association.

The student-run competition is designed to provide UCLA Anderson students with an intensive learning experience in the development and enhancement of new business ventures. The event is named for Cleon T. (Bud) and Betsy Wood Knapp, entrepreneurs and philanthropists whose generous monetary endowment in 1997 supports this annual event and other entrepreneurial initiatives.

Considered one of the premier academic business plan competitions in Southern California, the Knapp Venture Competition encourages students to apply the academic training they have received at UCLA Anderson and develop unique and timely business proposals that are then judged by a panel of successful entrepreneurs, business executives and UCLA Anderson alumni.

Competition judges include Cleon T. (Bud) Knapp, chairman and chief executive officer of The Knapp Foundation; Betsy Knapp, founder and chief executive officer of BigPicture Investors, LLC; Bill Woodward of Anthem Ventures, and Matt McCall of New World Ventures. 

"Participating in the Knapp Venture Competition prepares students - whether they will be founders, financiers, consultants, marketers, or general managers - for a variety of business experiences by simulating the process of starting and evaluating an entrepreneurial enterprise," said UCLA Anderson Senior Associate Dean Al Osborne. "It gives them the opportunity to integrate concepts from the core curriculum - economics, finance, operations, marketing, accounting, strategy, and organizational development - into a total plan for starting and operating a business enterprise."

This year 56 teams registered for the competition, submitting 29 plans.  The finalists' projects range from video information about career opportunities, an automated camera mount to track motion and location, and a non-invasive means to measure intracranial pressure to a web/mobile platform to play sports and an online site to rent bridesmaid dresses.

Since its inception, almost 2,000 UCLA Anderson students have competed in this unique venture creation, which has been instrumental in launching viable businesses, including Stamps.com, Greenbotics, a robotic, solar panel cleaning service, and Essio, aromatherapy through the shower.

About the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at UCLA Anderson

The Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at UCLA Anderson School of Management is an internationally recognized leader in entrepreneurial education and research.  With a distinguished faculty as its cornerstone, the Center oversees activities that advance the theory and practice of entrepreneurship as well as the related fields of technology and innovation, venture capital and private equity, and social enterprise.  Well known for the impact of its outreach programs, the Price Center fosters a spirit of innovation in individuals, enhances the managerial capacity of organizations, and prepares entrepreneurial leaders who will provide significant, sustainable and economic value to society.

About UCLA Anderson School of Management

UCLA Anderson School of Management is among the leading business schools in the world.  UCLA Anderson faculty members are globally renowned for their teaching excellence and research in advancing management thinking.  Each year, UCLA Anderson provides a distinctive approach to management education to more than 1,800 students enrolled in its MBA, Fully-Employed MBA, Executive MBA, Global Executive MBA for Asia Pacific, Global Executive MBA for the Americas, Master of Financial Engineering, doctoral and executive education programs. Combining selective admissions, varied and innovative learning programs, and a world-wide network of 35,000 alumni, UCLA Anderson develops and prepares global leaders. Follow UCLA Anderson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/UCLAAnderson, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/uclaanderson.

SOURCE UCLA Anderson School of Management