UNC entrepreneurs face off

Two freshman roommates sat in their room in Craige Residence Hall one day. They were hungry.

They didn’t want to go Chase Mini Mart, and the Rams Head Center had yet to be finished.

So, they thought, why not create a grocery delivery service for on-campus students?

“Somebody needs to fix that — why not us?” said freshman Chris Musick, chief financial officer and director of human relations for Collegegrocer.net.

The business was one of many that competed against those of the University’s top entrepreneurial brains in the Carolina Challenge. It won $3,000 as the runner-up business group and the $1,500 People’s Choice award.

The challenge’s final four teams stood in front of an intimidating panel of judges Saturday to win their share of $25,500.

The event — a highlight of the Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative, which began its inaugural year in August — allowed teams to compete in one of two tracks. The first focused on a project’s social impact, and the second judged a group’s commercial business plans.

The initiative is an $11 million program funded with help from the Kauffman Foundation.

“(CEI) gives (students) an opportunity to make a difference and think through how to make that difference,” said Jack Kasarda, director of the initiative.

Judges whittled the 65 teams that entered the competition in December down to two grand-prize winners who received $7,000 to help launch their entrepreneurial ideas. Two runner-up teams received $3,000 each.

Judges based their votes on the company’s executive plans.

“Good intentions are one thing, but if you can’t make them work, they’re just good intentions,” said John Stewart, a professor of economics who served as a judge.

New Worlds Through Literature won the grand prize for the social track. The nonprofit group provides organizations that target low-income families, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, with a 25-book library. Donors will be able to fund a library for $250.

Lindsay Johnson, a sophomore and creator of the project, has worked on the effort since her senior year of high school and said the company is one of her passions. She came up with the idea when she visited an shelter for the abused without any books for children.

RemedEase, a company that patented a contraption to stop nosebleeds, won for the business track.

“We’re going to be a really big market player,” said Amy Rix, founder of RemedEase, who works as a social research assistant in the School of Nursing. She came up with the idea after growing up with a brother prone to nosebleeds.

Nourish International, seen prominently on campus through both Hunger Lunch and Hold’em for Hunger, won second place for the social track. The group sends students to countries such as India to set up nutrition programs.

Many involved said the event went better than they planned.

“The enthusiasm and the diversity of ideas exceeded our expectations,” said Jeff Reid, faculty adviser for Carolina Challenge. “I think it went great.”

The hard work put in by both the teams and the staff who put on the competition could be seen at the event, he said. Next year, more teams are expected to participate, and $50,000 will be at stake.

“The biggest thing is, it’s only going to grow,” Reid said. “It’s an incredible first step, but over time it could be even bigger.”

Other CEI programs include a minor in entrepreneurship, first-year seminars, a speaker series and Kauffman faculty fellowships.

The initiative already has received recognition in its quest to make UNC the top entrepreneurial campus in the nation. The Princeton Review recently ranked UNC as the top entrepreneurial school.

Many entrepreneurial ideas are born on college campuses, said Judith Cone, senior vice president of the Kauffman Foundation, who also served as a judge. “Entrepreneurship is the economic engine for society,” she said.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.