Teams head to state business competition finals

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Greg Livadas

Brandy Madera and Alyssa Smith are members of team Clean Life Corps. They are among the teams representing RIT in the New York State Business Competition finals on April 26.

Three teams with innovative business ideas will represent Rochester Institute of Technology in the New York State Business Competition finals, to be held at the State University of New York at Albany on April 26.

They were among 23 teams participating in the Finger Lakes Regional Semi-Finalist Presentation Round held at RIT on Wednesday evening in categories of Biotechnology/Healthcare, Energy/Sustainability, Information Technology/Software, Nanotechnology/Advanced Technology, Products/Services and Social Entrepreneurship/Non-Profit.

Teams from the University of Rochester and Hobart and William Smith Colleges also are advancing to the finals, where $500,000 in prizes will be awarded to the winning teams.

The RIT teams advancing to the finals are:

• Clean Life Corps, a new concept for a sanitary waste management system to be used in Haiti: Alyssa Smith, a biomedical sciences major from Greece, N.Y.; Brandy Madera, a marketing communications major from Irondequoit, N.Y.; Trevor Thunell, a mechanical engineering technology major from Bergen, N.Y.; and Andrew Sapienza, also from Bergen, who was an international studies major at St. John Fisher College.
• Nebula Sports, preventing and increasing awareness about concussion injuries in sports: Ben Sima, a philosophy major from Massilion, Ohio; Patrick Streeter, a mechanical engineering major from Dryden, N.Y.; Andres Ulloa, a biomedical engineering major from Monroe, N.Y.; and Kayla Wheeler, a biomedical engineering major from Clifton Park, N.Y.
• Skyvo, applications for iPads for educational use: Gregory Sapienza, an information technology major from Brooklyn, N.Y.; and John Robinson, a management information systems major from Baldwinsville, N.Y.

“The judges were impressed with all of the presentations made tonight,” said Richard DeMartino, director of the Simone Center for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

The New York Business Plan Competition is one of the largest business competitions in the nation. More than 50 colleges and universities with more than 300 teams are expected to participate statewide. Last year’s grand-prize winner was Strong Arm Technologies from RIT.

Ben Sima, Patrick Streeter and Andres Ulloa are memebrs of team Nebula Sports. They are among the teams representing RIT in the New York State Business Competition finals on April 26. Greg Livadas

Gregory Sapienza and John Robinson are members of team Skyvo. They are among the teams representing RIT in the New York State Business Competition finals on April 26. Greg Livadas