Over $100,000 in Prizes
2019 Edward K. Aldag, Jr.
Business Plan Competition
Over the course of the day, 34 student teams and 8 community teams pitched their business ideas to panels of judges. Over $100,000 in total prizes were awarded. More than just the money, the Aldag competition is about the connections made and the lessons learned. We are proud to say that over the course of the event over 800 connections were made and recorded in our event app.
Win or lose, all teams walked away gaining from their experiences. Many of the teams are working with us over the summer in the inaugural Crimson Entrepreneurship Academy and our Crimson Accelerator. Congratulations to everyone who was involved, and thank you to the many people in our community who made this event possible. Feel free to take a look at our
2019 Edward K. Aldag, Jr. Competition Book which details all of our winners and participants in both the student and community competitions.
I also want to give a special thanks to the faculty who worked with the student teams all semester to help them prepare. Also, the entrepreneurship faculty in the
management department in the Culverhouse College of Business who helped not only prepare the students but also who were extensively involved in workshops and in partnering to put on the event. Thank you to all of our university and community partners- we can't do this work without you.
Thank you,
Theresa M. Welbourne, PhD
Executive Director, Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute and
Will and Maggie Brooke Professor in Entrepreneurship
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The $50,000 grand prize of our 2019 Edward K. Aldag, Jr. Business Plan Competition went to
Trips4Trade, a peer-to-peer based service that allows users to trade trips and experiences pertaining to outdoors, adventure, vacation, and sports. CEO Slade Johnston is from Butler, Alabama and recently graduated from UA with an MBA. You can find out more about his business on
Trips4Trade's website.
The grand prize wasn't the only award Slade went home with, as he also won awards sponsored by the Alabama Capital Network and the University of Alabama's Community Affairs Board of Directors Advisory Board.
You can read more about Slade and all of the other winners/participants in our competition
summary book.
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Learn more about Slade and other
Entrepreneurs at The EDGE
on the Wednesday
WVUA News at 5 pm.
Starting May 1st, every Wednesday we will feature stories about entrepreneurs, small businesses, growth businesses and business experts.
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Riley Voce and Zac Rogers of Blenz Bowls
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Additional Student Winners
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In addition to the grand prize, there were a number of additional winners who received cash, office space, and consulting to help move their businesses forward.
1st Prize: Blenz Bowls - Riley Voce and Zac Rogers
2nd Prize: Locality - Bryant Mathis, Ethan Reeves, Alex Tidwell, and Lily Prater
3rd Prize: Rottweiler Security - John Zimmerman
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Additional Student Award Winners
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This year, thanks to the Office of Research and Academic Development, the Community Affairs Board of Directors Advisory Board, and the Alabama Capital Network, we were able provide three additional awards to final round contestants. The winners of these awards were:
Office of Research and Economic Development Award: AccuSkin - Erik Hanson
Community Affairs Board of Directors Advisory Board Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award: Trips4Trade - Slade Johnston
Alabama Capital Network Award: Trips4Trade - Slade Johnston
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Erik Hanson of AccuSkin accepts his award from Rick Swatloski
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Leah Taylor, first place winner of the Community Competition
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1st Prize: Taylor's Victory Garden Center - Leah Taylor
2nd Prize: KinkyCurly Revolution - Nimi Ighofose
3rd Prize: KLG Creative Consulting - LaShay Gray
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Thank you Judges and Facilitators
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We could not have delivered the 2019 Edward K. Aldag, Jr. Business Plan Competition without help from all of our judges and facilitators.
They brought business experience, great questions and feedback to help the teams keep moving their ideas forward.
You can find a list of the 2019 judges and facilitators
here.
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Thank you Edward K. Aldag, Jr
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We want to give a special thank you to Edward K. Aldag, Jr. who helps make this event a reality.
Though he was not able to attend this year, you can view his inspirational message for budding entrepreneurs
here.
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During our lunch break, we were able to hear from some experienced entrepreneurs in a panel discussion. Thank you to
Darryl Robinson, Mark Smith, Alex Haisting, Mickey Millsap, and Culverhouse Dean Kay Palan for sharing their time and expertise with the attendees.
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Thank you Sponsors and Partners!
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Contact Us
2627 10th Avenue
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
Phone: (205) 348-3343
Email: aei@cba.ua.edu
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