Mifflin School District Governor High School senior Brayden Luce and Michelle Conway, who received the third place trophy in the high school business plan category for their work with their entrepreneurial venture BR Vending.
“I learned about grit, the importance of feedback, and how to pivot,” Somori says. “All the hard work paid off. For me, it was so encouraging to get past the idea stage and to have the industry experts who judged the competition agree with us.”
Somoli worked with Jack Short, an MBA candidate and graduate assistant in Startup Ventures and Investments at the O'Pake Institute, throughout the competitive process for his company Emivero. Evimero is a startup technology company aimed at helping universities, students, and all users retain and engage. Time management and student engagement apps work to retain current students and recruit non-traditional students.
Participants will be responsible for developing deliverables in four areas, including an executive summary, competitive analysis, pro forma financials and a presentation deck, to be presented on April 18. A panel of industry experts will then evaluate the presentations prior to an awards ceremony on May 2 at the FM Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
“Being a finalist in the TecBRIDGE Business Plan Competition provided me with a lot of experiential learning,” Short said. “I had the incredible opportunity to develop a financial model for my startup and present it to a highly qualified group of judges, and introduce Evimero to the world, which TecBRIDGE provided me with the opportunity to do.”
Mr. Short serves as Ebimero's Chief Financial Officer. In his role, he creates financial forecasts, cash flow statements, income statements, manages budgeting, and oversees many day-to-day operations alongside Somoly.
“Preparing to enter the TecBRIDGE Business Plan Competition is a rigorous process, but Tobi and Jack accepted the challenge,” said Michelle Conway, MBA, Executive Director of Student and Client Services at O'Pake Institute. “They worked diligently to develop a comprehensive business plan, presentation deck, financial projections and competitive analysis. They also attended help sessions with tecBRIDGE's Professional Service Provider Network and spent countless hours finalizing wireframes for Evimero. All the while, they were juggling full-time studies with part-time jobs. Tobi and Jack truly embody the entrepreneurial spirit and determination to 'go for it.'”
