Supported by Silicon Valley CEO Ray Zinn, the first ZinnStarter Pitch Competition, hosted by the LaunchLab, gave aspiring collegiate entrepreneurs an opportunity to win cash to build their ideas into the next groundbreaking product or business. Winners included: First place ($2,500): Emma Adams, WVU animal and nutritional sciences major, and her business idea PetRecord, which provides universal medical records for pets in emergency situations; second place ($1,500): Cameron Keefe, global supply chain management major, and her idea ThermoRoller, which combines physical massage with temperature control to relieve sore muscle pain; and third place ($1,000) to the team of Austin Davis, Anne Byer and Emily Thomas, from the University of Charleston, and their idea Second Chance, a program that helps give active control back to people with quadriplegia and paraplegia.
Just Say 'No'
Rejoice introverts and, generally, anyone who wants to decline a social invitation. Recent research by Julian Givi, assistant professor of marketing, shows that it's ok to decline party invitations. His research has gained national and international coverage: https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/resources/how-to-say-no
Supply Change
Bernie Quiroga, associate professor of supply chain management and program coordinator of global supply chain management, coauthored a paper that analyzes the effectiveness of urgent care for stroke victims. The paper, published in the Journal of Operations Management, uses supply chain methodology to determine best practices for patient care.
Greeting Every Opportunity with Open Arms
After growing up in her parents’ business, Emmy Severs was inspired to start her own business halfway through her college career. As an entrepreneurship major, she leaned on her passions and creative skills, and launched a stationary company called Lemon Milk Paper Co.
Focus Forward
A student veteran and graduate student in business administration is in elite company as one of only 18 women chosen for a fellowship designed to support military-connected females.
Breaking the Mold
MBA graduate Kristin Morvik is using her business education to educate the world.