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Fall 2011 Student Venture Seed Grant Recipients Announced

The UW–Madison Office of Corporate Relations Wiscontrepreneur Program is pleased to announce three recipients for the Fall 2011 Student Venture Seed Grant program. This program focuses on helping students pursue new ventures; passionate student entrepreneurs had the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $3,000 as a resource to help them further their business-related ideas. The Student Venture Seed Grants are sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison) .

This program is intended to build student entrepreneurial skills and confidence by encouraging formation and development of viable businesses or non-profit organizations by UW–Madison students who seek to convert their passions and ideas into sustainable ventures. Applicants were asked to complete Grant recipients were selected based on two major criteria: 1) Dedication and commitment to the venture, and 2) Quality of the proposed plan for creating a successful venture.

Fall 2011 Student Venture Seed Grant recipients:

Will Garland is an undergraduate student majoring in Entrepreneurship and Life Science Marketing. Frustrated by the way education is funded and the flaws that exist in the way scholarships are given out, Will explored ways these processes could be improved with the use of technology and the leveraging of social networking tools. His company, StudentBoat, LLC, is an online platform for motivated students to create their own source for scholarship funds by showcasing their backgrounds and goals to potential supporters.

Kendra Hill is a graduate student studying Brand and Product Management. As a coordinator for cheer and dance events for over eight years, she sought a more efficient and less time-consuming way to organize these types of events. Her company, SpiritCompetitions.com, is an online cheer and dance competition database that makes organizing competitions simpler and faster by digitizing the spirit event planning process.

Sean Kelly, an undergraduate majoring in Neurobiology, Tyler Phil, an undergraduate majoring in Economics, Kiernan McGowan, an undergraduate majoring in Electrical Engineering, and Martin Clarke, an undergraduate majoring in Finance and Economics are the management team for The Longboard Sling, LLC. During the Schoof’s Innovation Days Competition in February 2011, team members identified the need for an easier, more convenient way of transporting their longboards and developed the Longboard Sling, a device designed for convenient hands-free transportation of a longboard skateboard when not in use.

Presented by the Office of Corporate Relations with a grant from the Kauffman Foundation.