MBA students from nine universities competed in the Spirit of Enterprise Invitational MBA Business Plan Competition, which was held February 22nd at Brightpoint North America in Indianapolis.

Participating schools included Indiana University, Purdue University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Cincinnati, University of Illinois, University of Louisville, University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame, and University of Georgia.

The team from the University of Michigan received a first place award for Mobius Microsystems, a plan to design and market mixed-signal technology for printed circuit board systems. Indiana University received the second place award for In Your Space Media, which will offer advertising space in parking structures. University of Louisville's Floyd Street Technologies, which will provide products for the restoration and insurance industries, finished third, and Purdue University received a fourth place award for its presentation of Monocle Technologies, which will design quality detection systems for the pharmaceutical industry.

For its first place finish, the University of Michigan team received $10,000 and an automatic entry to the University of Texas' Moot Corp Competition in May. The second place team received $3,000, the third place team received $1,000, and the fourth place team received $500.

Sponsored by the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and the Jones Family Foundation, the Competition pitted teams of MBA students, each of whom won business plan competitions at their respective campuses, against one another before judges representing the business community.

The teams competed in three, three-track competitions in the morning before three-judge panels. Each team was allowed 20 minutes to present its plan followed by 20 minutes of questions from the judging panel. The winner from each track competed in an afternoon session before a four-judge panel.

Indiana University was ranked #7 in the "Top 50 business Schools for Entrepreneurship" by SUCCESS Magazine in its Spring 2001 issue. In Fall 2001, there were 67 declared undergraduate Entrepreneurship majors, as well as 34 MBA New Venture and business Development majors. There are approximately 773 students, both undergraduate and graduate, enrolled in entrepreneurship courses each year. Additionally, there are 42 MBA students participating in the Entrepreneurship Academy, 88 students in the Graduate Entrepreneur Club, and 40 students in the Young Entrepreneur's Association.

The recent winners of the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competitions have been very successful. Carrie Stout, the winner of the undergraduate competition in 2000, joined CID Equity Partners, a Venture Capital Firm, after graduation last May as a business analyst, assisting with the initial review and evaluation of investment opportunities received by the firm. Nick Martin, the 2001 undergraduate competition winner, graduated this past December and has started his snowboard company, Joyride Snowboards, after securing $750,000 in capital form angel investors. Matt Striebel won last year's local MBA competition and placed 2nd at the MBA Spirit of Enterprise and San Diego State Venture Challenge competitions last February and April. Matt is now running his company, Dimensions Furniture, and is projecting $10 million in sales this year.

The Jones Family Foundation has sponsored the Spirit of Enterprise MBA Business Plan Competition in each of the past three years and Donald G. Jones has participated in the judging of participants.