Sauder School of Business/UBC Applied Science and Rotman School of Management student teams capture top spots at Enterprize business plan competition

Vancouver - Teams from the Sauder School of Business/UBC Applied Science and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management took home first place finishes at the Sauder School of Business Enterprize conference and business plan competition, held January 28 and 29 in Vancouver.

The Sauder School of Business/UBC Applied Science team of Janice Cheam, Salim Hassan, Derek Sawkins, Cyrus Irani, Tariq Amlani and Lauren Kulokas won first place and $6000 in prize money in the undergraduate competition. Their plan, for Energy Aware, focused on the launch and development of a new digital, in-home energy-use monitor.

The unit, which plugs into a household electrical outlet, displays real-time energy consumption and costs. The initial product concept was developed during a UBC undergraduate course offered through the Sauder School of Business that brings together engineering and marketing students to design and launch a new consumer product.

Undergraduate teams from Simon Fraser University and Saint Mary's University came in second and third place respectively.

In the MBA business plan competition, the team of Kenny He, Sunny Bhasin and Bobby Gautam from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management took home first place and $5000 in prize money. Their plan focused on the launch of Gradecast, an online system which functions as an intermediary in the collection, distribution and streamlined sharing of academic information, such as transcripts.

MBA teams from UBC’s Sauder School of Business and York University’s Schulich School of Business captured second and third place respectively.

Over 300 undergraduate and MBA students from top business schools in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia took part in the two-day conference, which featured both the business plan competition and speaker sessions with seasoned entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Enterprize is an annual event organized and run by students at the Sauder School of Business which focuses on fostering successful student entrepreneurship and motivating students to realize their visions by turning ideas into plans, and plans into reality.

About the Sauder School of Business at UBC 

The Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia is Canada’s leading academic business school. Recognized globally for its contributions to management practice through its innovative research and teaching, the school is dedicated to opening worlds of opportunities for its students, alumni and associated communities.