Business Student Vies in National Forum

A Westmont student venture competed against eight other student business plans in a national competition in Santa Barbara, but came up short to a project from Duke University. Scott Upton’s Polaris Athletic Training Systems LLC will now compete as a semifinalist in the 9th annual Enterprise Creation Competition, March 24-25, cohosted by Indiana University-Bloomington, Syracuse University and Ball State University.

The student venture from Duke University, Allied Polymer Inc. (API), took top honors at the third annual Spirit of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (S.E.E.D.) Collegiate Venture Forum which was held at the Andalucia Hotel, March 3-4.

API has developed innovative, low-cost, high-performance material for microelectronic packaging and flexible circuit boards.

Dave Newton, professor of entrepreneurial finance, is founder and president of TechKnowledge Point, which launched the S.E.E.D. competition to put top collegiate entrepreneurship business plans in front of a world-class panel of evaluators, early stage investors and product development specialists. Newton also founded the entrepreneurship program at Westmont.

Upton’s proposal for a high-tech training device for runners and other athletes will next compete in Muncie, Ind. against other student ventures from University of Arizona, Texas Christian University, University of Houston, Illinois State University, University of Central Florida, University of Michigan, Northwood University and Ohio State University. Westmont has been represented at the Enterprise Creation Competition five of the past nine years. Westmont student venture Solum Monitoring Systems Inc. took first place in 2003 and won $7,500 in start-up funds.