University of Maryland Announces 28 Semifinalists for UMD $75K Business Plan Competition

COLLEGE PARK, Md., March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland today announces 28 faculty, student and alumni semifinalist teams for the twelfth annual UMD $75K Business Plan Competition.

The competition, fostering university startups for over a decade, has spurred companies such as Squarespace, Lurn, AnthroTronix, Alertus Technologies, RioRey (then MacroPhage), Remedium Technologies, FlexEl, Resensys and Traffax.

A record 91 entries poured in this year. Submitted as executive summaries, entries were judged based upon their value proposition, competitive advantage, target market, profit model, intellectual property, and clarity.

2012 semi-finalists include:

Graduate Student, Faculty and Researchers Category

Alternera Technology
Team: Morris Kaplan; Yaroslav Ryabov, alumnus; Michael Jakobson, professor, mathematics; Slava Yorish

Birich Technologies
Team: Kevin Diehn, Ph.D. student, chemical engineering; Chanda Arya, Ph.D. student, chemical engineering; Srinivasa Raghavan, associate professor, chemical and biomolecular engineering

BlueMe Cashless P2P Money Transfer
Team: Amardip Ghosh, post-doctoral researcher and alumnus, Ph.D., aerospace engineering, 2008; Rajeev Gupta; Ranjeeta Gupta

Diagnostic anSERS
Team: Sean Virgile, Ph.D. student, Fischell Department of Bioengineering; Eric Hoppmann, Ph.D. student, Fischell Department of Bioengineering

MD Energy and Sensor Tech
Team: Yiming Wu, post-doctoral researcher, materials science and engineering; Ichiro Takeuchi, professor, materials science and engineering; Sherry Xie

Optimantra
Team: Daniel Tyler, part-time MBA; Akhil Singh, part-time MBA

RedOx
Team: Eric Wachsman, director, University of Maryland Energy Research Center, professor, materials science and engineering, chemical engineering; Bryan Blackburn

SafeLiCell
Team: Aaron Fisher, graduate student, chemical and biomolecular engineering; Peter Kofinas, professor, Fischell Department of Bioengineering

Streamlined Embedded Technologies
Team: Shuvra Bhattacharyya, professor, electrical and computer engineering; Chung-Ching Shen, assistant research scientist, electrical and computer engineering; William Plishker, assistant research scientist, electrical and computer engineering

Vitruvius
Team: Viraj Mane, faculty research associate, University of Maryland; David Jacobsohn; Amrita D. Naipaul

zeroK NanoTech 
Team: Brenton Knuffman, post-doctoral researcher, Maryland NanoCenter; Adam V. Steele, post-doctoral researcher, Maryland NanoCenter

Undergraduate Student Category

Archon Medical Technologies
Team: Bryan Huang, business information systems; Hien Nguyen; Sohail Zahid; Daniel Peng; Stephen Van Kooten; Leslie Myint; Ang Andy Tu; Anvesh Annadanam; Luis Herrera; Haley Huang; Adam Clark

ColorCarton Group
Team: Tom Blackmon, finance and economics; Jonathan Chang, Fischell Department of Bioengineering; Amy Cheng, biology; Tiffany Jen, biology; Hannah Kravis, business and Japanese; Raishay Lin, English; Michael Lu, finance; Erin Ong, neurobiology and physiology and psychology; Tanya Pakzad, nutritional science; Nima Sarfaraz, Fischell Department of Bioengineering; Yvonne Shiau, finance and English; Jacklyn Wong, marketing and finance

CROME Solutions
Team: Mariya Sitnova, Fischell Department of Bioengineering; Emmarie Myers, Fischell Department of Bioengineering; Oren Feder, Fischell Department of Bioengineering; Ryan Hilaman, Fischell Department of Bioengineering; Christopher Gloth, Fischell Department of Bioengineering

Modern Construction Solutions
Team: Jose Guevara, civil and environmental engineering; Greg Twist, alumnus, business management; Jason Kennedy

MotionVibe (social fitness network)
Team: Nick Gerontianos, individual studies, digital innovation management studies; Jeff Polon

MyMaryland.net (interactive government system)
Team: Ben Simon, government and politics; Natalie Martino, government and politics; Natalia Cuadra, alumna, history and classics (2011)

OrgoBrush (innovative organic toothbrush)
Team: Ammaribn Y. Nada, mechanical engineering and Hinman CEOs Program; Osama M. Eshera, Fischell Department of Bioengineering and Hinman CEOs Program; Thomas Beigel, Keystone Lecturer; S.K. Gupta, director, Maryland Robotics Center and professor, mechanical engineering and Institute for Systems Research; Mujtaba M. Yahya

Plan C Bikes (bike rental service)
Team: Kevin Ford Jr., family science and Hillman Entrepreneurs Program; Itota Okonedo, accounting and Hillman Entrepreneurs Program

PostRev
Team: Ben Flom, mathematics and electrical and computer engineering; Abeyu Mengistu, computer science; Yonas Fisseha

RFP Central
Team: Michele Fried, supply chain management; Jason Graub, accounting and finance; Brett Jacobs, civil engineering; Daniel Flesher, aerospace engineering; Nicole Coomber, Ph.D. student, education and assistant director, QUEST Honors Program, Joseph P. Bailey, research associate professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business and executive director, QUEST Honors Program; Hart Rossman

SmartWatts
Team: Linda Rassenti, Fischell Department of Bioengineering; John Walsh, finance and international business; James Rigos, finance; Prateek Kukreja, electrical and computer engineering; Nicole Coomber, Ph.D. student, education and assistant director, QUEST Honors Program, Joseph P. Bailey, research associate professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business and executive director, QUEST Honors Program; Hart Rossman

UMDTutor2Go.com 
Team: Chandra Smith, psychology and Hillman Entrepreneurs Program; Changudra Smith, finance and Hillman Entrepreneurs Program; Florencia Ramirez, marketing and business management and Hillman Entrepreneurs Program

Recent Alumni Category

Discreet Secrete Solutions
Team: Susan Thompson, alumna, mechanical engineering (2006); Andrew Thompson, alumnus, mechanical engineering (2006); Kathleen McDowell; Angela Jillson

E-ISG Asset Intelligence
Team: Brandon Chiat, alumnus, University of Maryland, Baltimore (2010); Eric Beser; Jackie Luo; Jeff Snyder

ICOW
Team: Haiwen Ding, alumna, master of science, fire protection Engineering (2010)

Seke LLC
Team: Seth McBee, alumnus, mechanical engineering (2010); Kevin Winzer

Sonify BioSciences
Team: Miriam S. Boer, alumna, biochemistry (2011)

The University of Maryland $75K Business Plan Competition is administered by the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech), an initiative of the A. James Clark School of Engineering.

The competition encourages students, faculty and researchers at the University of Maryland to leverage their talent and ideas to create tomorrow's leading companies. The competition process, its network of expert mentors and partners and the cash prizes awarded have helped many students, faculty and researchers act on their dreams and build their own companies.

Sponsors of the 2011competition include Fish & Richardson P.C., Lockheed Martin, the Maryland Biotechnology Center, Nixon Peabody LLP and Warren Citrin.

For more information about the University of Maryland $75K Business Plan Competition, visit www.bpc.umd.edu.

SOURCE University of Maryland