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Business Plan Competition: Sometimes it takes a maverick or two

by Jan Gillis ('07)

Alumni duo endows Business Plan Competition and engages students with competition and incentive

By Patricia May ('94M)

From Spring/Summer 2014 Madison magazine

Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that two maverick JMU students became the driving force behind what today has become the showcase for the College of Business's vaunted COB300 course—the annual Business Plan Competition. With world-wise business alumni judging six student teams competing for scholarships and awards each spring, the competition is a startup Don Rainey ('82) and Wayne Jackson ('85) built into a success over the last dozen years—long before Shark Tank or Donald Trump hit TV.

"I want to create something tomorrow that doesn't exist today." — Don Rainey

In its first year, Rainey lined up the pieces—leadership support in the college, private funding from alumni donors, a full slate of alumni to serve as judges (including himself), the operation, and scholarships and awards for the competitors. The next year Jackson joined him, and they've been involved as coordinators, judges or advisers every year since.

They took the ultimate step last spring and made financial commitments to permanently endow what is now called the annual Jackson-Rainey Business Plan Competition. Awards to students this year totaled $25,000.

Rite of passage

Tied to the intense 12-credit COB300 gateway course requiring student teams to create a business plan while learning the fundamentals of finance, management, marketing and operations, the competition has become a student rite of passage. It has also helped rank JMU's College of Business among the top 5 percent of undergraduate business schools in the nation. And yet the usual student things—grades, classes, studying, going to the library, tests—did not interest Rainey when he went to Madison. In true entrepreneurial fashion, he sought action. "I like the creative endeavor," says Rainey, who now serves on the JMU Board of Visitors. "I like to create something from nothing. That's what I want to get up every day and do. I want to create something tomorrow that doesn't exist today."

It took an independent study with business professor Joseph Kosnick for college to gel for Rainey. "I wrote a business plan for him. This was a life-changing experience for me. My GPA was 2.2. He gave me an A. This was my proudest grade in college."

As Jackson jokes, "Don and I probably competed for the lowest GPA." For him, shadowing a local developer who was building nearby Massanutten Resort provided the taste for achievement that entrepreneurs thrive on. Rainey and Jackson took their real-world experiences and ran.

Rainey became an international powerhouse in business management before jumping into venture capital. Today he is a general partner in Grotech Ventures and serves on the boards of its portfolio companies. With more than $1 billion under management, Grotech focuses on early stage information technology companies.

Jackson currently heads Sonatype Inc., creator of Maven and other technologies that are used by millions of software developers worldwide. It is his third venture-backed company, having taken startups Sourcefire and Riverbed Technologies through to sales of $2.7 billion and $1 billion respectively.

"I acquired skills over time, but it took me years, as opposed to having the great jump start they have here," Jackson says. "Even outside the business plan competition, the opportunity to integrate what is taught in business at JMU is an extraordinary innovation.

"I find it personally amazing that someone can get involved with an idea and change people's lives," he adds. While Jackson is reflecting on Sonatype's phenomenal impact on how software is developed around the world, Jackson might as well be talking about the business plan competition he and Rainey have done so much to create.

Exponential benefit

"I learned how to solve problems in a way that I never had before." — Jacqueline Cheff ('12)

Former student competitor and 2014 judge Katherine Ferguson ('04) says, "It's done amazing things for me. The impact has been exponential in my career." She is vice president of business development for Cooley LLP. This year she funded the competition's new Ferguson Top Female Leader Award, in keeping with the college's continuing wish to further enhance the competition.

EyeTraffic Media SEO Coordinator Jacqueline Cheff ('12) says, "I learned to think outside the box in creative ways that I had never before had the opportunity to do in school." Her team won first place in 2012. "I was challenged. I learned how to solve problems in a way that I never had before." That kind of testimonial resonates with Rainey, who is happy to help provide the kind of business skills he longed for as a student. "If they have the drive, we want to give them the tools."

Learn more about the 12th Annual Jackson-Rainey Business Plan Competition, including this year's business plans, student finalists and alumni judges at www.jmu.edu/news/cob/2014/04/01-jackson-rainey-business-plan-competition.shtml.

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Published: Monday, May 5, 2014

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 21, 2024

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College of Business student teams compete in the Jackson-Rainey Business Plan competition

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Six student teams competed in the annual Jackson-Rainey Business Plan competition based on the work they completed in the COB 300 course.

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Mayo Business Plan Competition: Winning Team Golden Connections

On behalf of the School of Science, it is with great pleasure that we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Team Golden Connections for their first-place win at the thirteenth annual Mayo Business Plan Competition Finals, held on March 27, 2024. 

The Mayo Business Plan Competition, established and generously funded by Professor Herbert B. Mayo, offers a real-world opportunity where students are encouraged to grapple with the complexities of crafting a viable, original business plan. Unlike traditional academic endeavors, the Mayo Business Plan Competition operates outside the confines of a classroom, placing the responsibilities squarely on participating students to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape autonomously with their teammates. Throughout this process, the teams are encouraged to conduct rigorous market research, seek out mentors and resources, and refine their strategies through iterative rounds of feedback and refinement.

Their journey to victory in the Mayo Business Plan Competition was marked not only by innovation, but also by a profound sense of purpose – a purpose rooted in their personal, familial experiences and driven by their collective vision.

Commenting on the impactful personal touch of Golden Connection’s ambitious plan, Dean of TCNJ’s School of Business, Ms. Tammy Dieterich noted, “I think Golden Connections did a fantastic job in coming up with a thoughtful business plan and seeking lots of input. You can see that their group’s inspiration arose from a family concern, so they were able to connect with many other people in this caregiving ‘sandwich’ generation who are also dealing with these sorts of concerns now.”

Sangam Sivaprasad, a Senior Biology Major on the pre-med track and CIO of Golden Connections expanded on the group’s inspiration for their idea, “We saw the struggles our parents have with caring for their parents who live further away and seeing the struggles they faced, we wanted to create a platform where they could have more accessibility to resources that they can use to care for their aging parents and allow those parents to age in place and not have to go to a senior care facility.”

Their vision was not merely to create another healthcare app, but rather to provide an alternative solution for caregivers that eases the burdens of responsibility and effectively fosters peace of mind. Emma Route, Junior Chemistry Major, articulates this sentiment: “We want to be one less thing to do. So Instead of the caregivers spending all their time throughout the day stressing over whether or not their loved one has an appointment, or if their loved one needs to fast for a screening, the caregivers can just go through the app to see everything organized in the calendar.”

Lauren Cunningham, Senior Marketing Major, encapsulates the mission of Golden Connections, expressing, “Our mission is to provide caregivers with time, support, and peace of mind.”

The team’s journey from ideation to planning for practical execution is indeed, a lengthy and in-depth process, and one that requires additional input, guidance, and mentorship from individuals like Professor Karen Becker, whom the group consulted. 

Emma Route reflects on the pivotal role that mentorship played in their journey, “Dr. Becker has been an incredible mentor. I’ve learned so much about marketing and finance through our experience working on this project.” 

Sangam further emphasizes the significance of mentorship, stating, “It just goes to show how important mentorship is in this whole competition. Dr. Becker really did put us in touch with a lot of different people, but she pushed us to set up these meetings ourselves. We were a bit nervous at first, but she really did broaden our horizons and prepared us well.”

In addition to seeking impactful mentorship opportunities, the group’s interdisciplinary dynamic also allowed each member to bring a unique perspective and skill set to the table, allowing for a comprehensive and multifaceted approach to tackling the challenges of their venture. 

Commenting on the value of working with a group with interdisciplinary academic backgrounds, Sangam reflected, “Taking into account each of our different skill sets in biology, chemistry, and marketing allowed us to incorporate our unique experiences into this project in a meaningful way. Being able to speak to different aspects of the platform has really been a beneficial aspect of working together in this group.”

Also reflecting on the value of working within an interdisciplinary team, Dean Dieterich noted that “The interdisciplinary element of the competition is one of the most important and exciting byproducts of the opportunity. Seeing the cross-campus collaboration and support that students show each other from organizations of all types is definitely a meaningful aspect of this competition.”

The Mayo Business Plan Competition not only provides a platform for professional growth and entrepreneurial ventures but also serves as a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth. 

Lauren attests to the transformative power of the competition: “Participating in the Mayo Business Plan Competition has definitely prepared me for what I’m interested in terms of a job search. I feel like I have more of an interest in health than I did originally, and that is really because of all that I have been able to learn through the connections I’ve made throughout this process.”

Reflecting on their journey through the Mayo Business Plan Competition, Team Golden Connections expressed profound gratitude and a sense of accomplishment. Lauren Cunningham shared, “I truly feel like I have accomplished what I wanted to through my college career through this competition, and taking advantage of this amazing opportunity throughout my senior year was just overall an incredible experience.” 

Their victory was the culmination of relentless dedication and hard work, as Sangam Shivaprasad described, “I won’t put it lightly, it was countless hours of meetings, drafting documents, and creating presentations and videos. It was definitely a large time commitment, but it was truly so rewarding and felt so surreal to be called up onstage as this year’s winner of the Mayo Business Competition.” 

Emma Route emphasized the team’s unwavering determination as a key factor in their success, stating, “I think the determination that our team had is really what brought us to first place. Just being fully immersed in the idea and continuing to learn and connect with individuals to gain further insight is what each of us continued to do throughout the entire process.” Their journey exemplifies the transformative power of collaboration, perseverance, and a shared vision, echoing the spirit of innovation that defines the Mayo Business Plan Competition.

As the group proudly looks towards the future, they remind us that Golden Connections is not just a business venture; it is a testament to the power of empathy, innovation, and collaboration. As they embark on the next phase of their journeys at TCNJ and beyond, they carry with them the torch of change, providing caregivers and their loved ones with an alternative route to seeking the proper care they deserve. In the realm of entrepreneurship, where ideas shape the future, Golden Connections stands as a shining example of the profound impact that purpose-driven innovation can have on society.

Written by School of Science Student Journalist, Jax DiEugenio

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A101 New Town Project, Moscow Contest

A101 New Town Project Moscow, Architecture Contest, Building, News, Design

A101 New Town Project – Moscow Masterplan, Russia

Russian Architectural Competition – design by Maxwan

26 Nov 2010

Project A101 Moscow

A101 Out of the Freezer : Largest European New Town Restarts

After having won an international competition, Maxwan in 2007 completed the masterplan for Project A101 in Russia. The A101 new town is located just outside Moscow’s MKAD ring road and is built out on 6,000 hectares of land of the grounds of a former sovchoz. With 320,000 expected inhabitants, A101 is Europe’s single largest urban project in the making.

The project features close to 120,000 new homes in a wide variety of types and sizes. They are planned around 13 mixed-use centres, a large business park (500,000 m2 floor space) and a university. A new light-rail network will connect to Moscow subway lines red and orange. A fine-mazed road network will be put in place. To establish a high level of social infrastructure, the development will include 2 hospitals, 20 health clinics, 60 schools, and 150 kindergartens. Self-sufficiency is the key principle in the vision for A101.

Masshtab, the development company, is currently holding a competition for the detailed design of the first large site (150 hectare, >1 million m2 residential floor space). Four architecture firms have been selected to submit proposals: MVRDV/Next, KCAP, EDDEA and HA&S. The results of the competition will be exhibited in the Museum of Architecture in Central Moscow coming December.

MAXWAN ARCHITECTS + URBANISTS is an international practice dedicated to contemporary architectural and urban design. Working on a broad variety of subjects, Maxwan have designed widely recognized projects such as the “Saw Tooth Tower (Nuilding)” in Rotterdam, the “Office Building F&I” (Maastricht Aachen Airport) and “50 Bridges” for the City of Utrecht.

Maxwan have made a name for themselves internationally with innovative proposals for the new town of Leidsche Rijn (75,000 residents and a hidden highway), the 10,800 houses Master Plan for Barking Riverside, the Master Plan A101 for a new city of 300,000 inhabitants on the fringes of Moscow, the master plan for 2,000 houses in the Dnepr River Delta, Kiev Ukraine and most recently the urban design for the Waalhafen Zone in Rotterdam with in its center “Skill Bill” a new building typology reconnecting the harbour with the city.

We encourage collaboration between clients, colleagues and specialist consultants. In each of our projects, we seek to merge cultural, technical and esthetical influences into an inextricable and beautiful whole.

A101 Urban Block Competition

An open international competition with a total prize fund of 40.000 USD

Masshtab Development Company is announcing a competition for the design of urban blocks for the A101 urban development: a new town of around 150.000 people and 13 million sq m of housing located south of Moscow. The design for this town will be based on the Urban Block concept, developed by curator Bart Goldhoorn. 80% of the blocks in the A101 project will have a standard size. During the development of the area over 500 blocks of these blocks will be built.

At this moment, four well-known architecture firms are working in competition to design a masterplan for the first phase of this development:

MVRDV (NL), KCAP/Next architects (NL), EDDEA (ES) and Hilmer, Sattler, Albrecht (GER)

In the open international Urban Block competition architects are invited to develop a block design that can be used on the plots in the A101 project. A jury will choose winning projects for which a total prize fund of 40.000 USD is available.

All projects that fulfill the minimum requirements of the program will become part of an Urban Block Catalogue and will be considered for realization depending on the location and the stage of development of the project. These projects will be exhibited together with the Masterplan projects in the Museum of Architecture in Central Moscow from December 3 to December 31 2010.

A101 Urban Block Competition – Prize fund 1st prize: 15.000 USD 2nd prize: 10.000 USD 3rd prize: 5.000 USD 5 honorable mentions: 5 x 2000 USD

A101 Urban Block Competition – Timeline 10 Nov Registration deadline Nov 28 Deadline for Digital files Dec 1 Deadline for Model Dec 2/3 Jury Dec 3 Announcement of winners and opening of the exhibition Jan 1 Exhibition closure

A101 Urban Block Competition information from Curator

Location: Moscow , Russia

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5 Students Use Couri Hatchery to Prepare for New York Business Plan Competition

Frank Marin, Natasha Brao, Tosin Alabi, Motolani Oladitan and Jessica Grace McGhee

This semester, five University students working at the Couri Hatchery Student Business Incubator at the Whitman School of Management made it through the regional level of the New York State Business Plan Competition (NYBPC), an intercollegiate event designed to help prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs in New York state.

The hatchery, led by Program Manager Indaria Jones and supported by faculty from the Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises (EEE), assists students in preparing for this highly competitive event. They will compete for up to $100,000 in cash prizes to support their ventures.

The following students are currently competing for a place in the statewide competition to be held in Albany, New York, on April 25:

Tosin Alabi G’25 (MBA ) is an entrepreneur-in-residence at the Couri Hatchery and a student in Whitman’s MBA program. She is competing with her business venture DiabeTech, an electronic bandage created for diabetic foot ulcers.

The bandage not only protects the wound but has sensors that check temperature and glucose levels in real time, providing vital information for the patient and physician. This information can be used to ward off dangerous consequences of diabetic foot ulcers like gangrene or amputation.

From Nigeria, Alabi appreciates the support she has been given at the Hatchery, particularly as an international student.

“International students are already dealing with acclimating to both the culture and the rigors of the education here. Sometimes I feel like an octopus juggling so many things at once,” she says. “It took courage for me to go to the hatchery, but the resources there have helped me understand the rules, legalities, licenses and visa limitations that impact my business. And, I could not go a day without the support of Indaria. She has put a light in the Couri Hatchery and made it the place for me. DiabeTech is not just a business idea for me. It’s helping people have a better life, even those in my own family who are diabetic.”

Natasha Brao ’22 (College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA)), G’23, G’24 (MBA) first discovered the deliciousness of the classic Mediterranean dish Shakshuka on a trip overseas in 2019 and soon realized it was a compilation of many Mediterranean backgrounds and cultures. Having always loved experimenting with cooking, she created Shooka , a spiced tomato sauce with the idea of “mixing and melding cultures to promote creative cooking” and formalized her business in 2023. The product quickly gained attention this March when she started selling the sauce. Brao recently acquired a spot at New York State’s International Taste Festival where upwards of 7,000 attended and had the chance to try Shooka.

“My entrepreneurial side comes from my creative background [Brao earned a bachelor’s degree in design]. I was an idea machine and very passionate about food and culinary businesses,” she says. “I’ve been hanging out at the hatchery for quite a while, planning the future of the business, considering strategic partnerships and creating a road map so I can stay on track as a busy student and entrepreneur. I have weekly meetings with the advisors at the hatchery and that has kept a fire under me to keep progressing week to week.”

Frank Marin ’23 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), G’24 (MBA) is enrolled in a dual program earning an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and an MBA with concentrations in entrepreneurship and supply chain management. He is working on a business opportunity called Marhold Space Systems LLC , which involves the removal of debris in space through innovative techniques. Marin is creating a general process for the spacecraft to follow that will give it maximum efficiency in debris removal.

“I am incredibly passionate about science and its growing importance, and I have a lot of ideas on how to make the world a better place, starting with removing debris,” he says. “The Couri Hatchery has been a place for me to talk with like-minded, entrepreneurial people, including members of the EEE faculty who challenge me and also help me stay on track. I hope that one day my ideas can make a difference in people’s lives.”

Jessica Grace McGhee ’19 (VPA), G’24 (VPA) is a fine artist with her own online gallery, who is also a creative arts therapy graduate student in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. She is entering her business venture Sacred Art of Rising (SAOR) in the competition. SAOR will engage survivors of chronic and complex trauma on three different platforms: the Resource Center in Syracuse’s South Side, an area of the city with a high poverty level; the Retreat Center, a safe space with a myriad of nonverbal and verbal therapeutic platforms with access to restorative rest; and the Sacred Art of Rising mobile app with sliding scale access to psychoeducational, motivational and self-care content with a platform for telehealth therapy.

As a survivor of complex and chronic trauma, McGhee has created SOAR as an alternative, non-verbal therapeutic platform to help others recover, especially those who are underserved, as a means of “symbolic investment.” She wants SOAR to create a full-circle investment in marginalized communities that heals and uplifts people to reach their own self-directed goals. And, McGhee hopes it will be a place to provide safe outdoor space for individuals and families to build healthy attachments, get social rest and also reach people in need of a place to heal and decrease the chronic toxic stress that accompanies poverty.

“I knew SOAR would be amazingly helpful but, financially, I couldn’t see how I could make it happen. Linda Hartsock just lit up that path for me,” she says. “I moved from Los Angeles to Syracuse in 2008 and was promised a very healthy existence but then endured several kinds of abuse before I got up the courage to leave. But, Syracuse University and the people at the Couri Hatchery have rooted for me and done their best to uplift me and help me reach my dreams.”

Motolani Oladitan ’24 (A&S) , a psychology major, has created Tà Beautie , an online marketplace for African entrepreneurs to sell their beauty products collectively online. From Nigeria, Oladitan is starting with six to eight products and hopes to expand from there, becoming the premier destination for African beauty and wellness by helping get these brands into mainstream U.S. markets. She has tested and used every product she offers, and when people kept asking to borrow her products, Oladitan knew she was on to something.

“Traci Giesler, Indaria Jones, Linda Dickerson Hartsock and all the mentors at the Couri Hatchery and the Blackstone LaunchPad have been so good to me and are always ready to help me practice my pitch or offer recommendations on how to tackle the things I’m facing,” she says. “I’m looking to put together a marketing plan, and even if I don’t win the competition, I know it’s a learning experience. Syracuse University has been a learning experience, too, and I will take the feedback and implement that into the future of the business. I am in this for the long run.”

The Couri Hatchery is named for John Couri ’63, co-founder of Duty-Free International and president of the Couri Foundation.

Dawn McWilliams

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Meet the winners of the 2024 Mayo Business Plan Competition

Golden Connections, an AI-powered health and wellness digital platform designed to help with the needs of senior citizens and their caregivers, won the first-place prize of $30,000 in the 2024 Mayo Business Plan Competition.

Lauren Cunningham ’24 , Emma Route ’25 , and Sangam Shivaprasad ’24 developed the digital platform to serve as a bridge between adult caregivers and their aging family members.

The team says an estimated 65 million caregivers of seniors are also working adults, like their own parents. Cunningham shared the story of Sandra — her grandmother, affectionately called Grammy — who lives far from her family but needs help with everyday tasks like remembering appointments. Many of those tasks, she said, fall on her mom.

“We see our parents helping their parents, and we wanted to make that easier for them,” Cunningham, a marketing major, said. Caregivers report insufficient sleep, exhibit chronic stress, and lose productivity due to caregiving responsibilities.

Enter Golden Connections, a user-friendly digital platform that features an AI assistant named Grace that can help seniors with everyday tasks and reminders via customized check-in calls and provide health and wellness insights based on speech biomarker analysis.

“I learned about speech biomarkers at an internship last summer at Johnson & Johnson,” Route, a chemistry major, said. “They’re using these biomarkers in clinical trials for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, so I wanted to incorporate that in our platform so that people can use it in their everyday lives.”

Speech and language biomarkers, such as speech rate, pitch, volume, vibration, and other vocal features, may indicate whether a person is experiencing cognitive changes.

Shivaprasad, a biology major, has been interested in medicine since she was young but recently became curious about business. “The Mayo Business Plan Competition helped me learn that this is something I want to pursue in the future,” she said. “It opened many doors and showed me how to make connections.”

This year, 25 teams competed in the challenge, spending much of the academic year on their projects. Three teams made it to the finals in the Mayo Concert Hall on March 27, where each had 30 minutes to make presentations and respond to questions from a five-person panel of alumni judges.

In all, $60,000 in prize money was awarded. A plan for a trendy and affordable thrift store to serve TCNJ students and the surrounding community was the runner-up, garnering team 2nd Chance $20,000. The third-place team, Girls Got Your Back, designed a location-based app to facilitate mutual assistance among women in a community during times of need and won $10,000 for their plan.

The Mayo Business Plan Competition was established in 2011 through the generosity of finance professor emeritus Herbert B. “Buddy” Mayo. Through the TCNJ Foundation, Mayo established an endowment that supports the competition — one of the most robust in New Jersey.

Second Place ($20,000): 2nd Chance by Caley Faith Cortezano ’25 , public health; Alex Fabiano ’24 , interdisciplinary business; Dylan Romanski ’24 , finance. The team pitched a second-hand store that aims to provide students at TCNJ with financially and eco-conscious shopping options with high-quality new and used clothing, furniture, and school supplies.

Third Place ($10,000): Girls Got Your Back by Olivia Chiarella ’25 , communication studies; Victoria Dasilva ’25 , finance; Tatiana Sawka ’25 , marketing; and Madilynne Slifer ’24 , marketing. The team has the vision to create a supportive and empowering digital community for women facing “mini emergencies” in their daily lives (like needing a phone or laptop charger ASAP when you’re in the library studying but forgot to pack your own).

—  Emily W. Dodd ’03

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