Second Annual Florida Collegiate Business Plan Competition Winners Announced

November 19, 2007

Winter Park, Fla. – The Center for Entrepreneurship at the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business has partnered with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and five other Florida institutions to again host the Florida Collegiate Business Plan Competition.

The competition was held November 15 and 16 at the Cocoa Beach Hilton and was sponsored by the Florida Venture Forum and the Winter Park Angels. Students currently enrolled in a full-time or part-time curriculum at more than 30 Florida colleges and universities were invited to submit entries.

ReDesigning Women, from Rollins College, won in the Investment Intensive category. Entries in this category are those that would likely require rounds of venture capital investment to succeed. ReDesigning Women was founded by Dawn Haynes and Tammy Daigle while they were MBA students at the Crummer Graduate School of Business. The company was created to provide practical, emotional, economic, physical and social support as well as information for women considering, navigating or having completed the divorce process.

ToneRite, from University of Florida, won in the Limited Investment category. Entries in this category are those that could launch and grow successfully based on revenue, personal funds, loans or angel investments. ToneRite has developed the Signature; a revolutionary device that improves the quality of a violin’s tone 64% in 24 hours. The Signature transforms instruments to be warmer, richer, more responsive and focused.

Representatives from Florida International University, Rollins College, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Miami, University of South Florida and University of Tampa are the event organizing committee. “The Florida Collegiate Business Plan Competition is a first step toward building relationships and professional networks among aspiring entrepreneurs, business leaders, and champions of entrepreneurship on Florida’s campuses” said Cameron Ford, Founding Director of UCF’s CEI.

“The state of Florida consistently ranks as one of the most dynamic environments for new venture creation,” said Thomas Kruczek, executive director of the Rollins College Center for Entrepreneurship. “This competition will help ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in these aspiring business leaders.”