Silverman Business Plan Competition
Entrepreneurship at Simmons is Evolving! Over the past year, the Entrepreneurship program at Simmons College has undergone some important and very positive changes. The year began with the launch of "The Winner's Circle", a program that provides expert coaching and support from the SOM entrepreneurship community to all Silverman Business Plan Competition (SBPC) winners. We held our first Global Entrepreneurship Week activities last fall with the highly successful Fashion with Impact fair-trade fashion show and social entrepreneurship showcase. A new e'ship minor program was developed and approved for undergraduates from all academic disciplines and, the year ended with the positive news of grants from the Coleman and Reid Foundations to support programs for both the undergraduate and MBA students.
As we look forward to the next year, we are pleased to report that we are actively seeking ways to evolve the SBPC. Our goal is to ensure that this competition truly stands out from other business plan events, serves women entrepreneurs in an important and powerful way, and leverages innovations in marketing and social media. By achieving these three goals we are confident that we can deliver a unique, value-add competition for aspiring Simmons entrepreneurs.
Please check back for updates on our past winners and keep your eyes out for information regarding the 4th Annual Silverman Business Plan Competition to be held in our state-of-the art LEED certified building in 2010.
The Competition
The Annual Silverman Business Plan Competition, open exclusively to Simmons School of Management MBA alumnae and current students, is designed to support women in launching innovative and successful ventures that have an impact. Participants build competence and confidence as they compete for $10,000 in cash prizes. As part of the process, semi-finalists receive valuable feedback on their plans including one-on-one feedback from a business plan advisor. Finalists gain access to the Simmons entrepreneurship network of venture capitalists, angel investors, bankers and lawyers to move their ventures forward.
2008 Winner
Heatherjean MacNeil won the 2008 Silverman Business Plan Competition. Heatherjean is building Proxy, a fashion-forward fair trade women’s apparel company that speaks to the rising unmet demand for fashionable fair trade clothing. Proxy is a unique mission-driven company that aims to be the leading provider of fair-trade professional apparel, as it empowers and employs workers through the creation of a sweatshop free, sustainable world. Heatherjean graduated from the Simmons School of Management MBA program in 2008 and is currently finishing her Certificate in Entrepreneurship by completing a six-week practicum focused on waste reduction at Eileen Fisher in New York City.
2008 Finalists
- Jennifer Morris, MBA ’07 and Certificate’08, LOCAL WATT, plug-in system for electric cars
- Vangile Makwakwa, MBA and Certificate’08, SPEAK2BFREE, global online slam poetry
2008 Judges
- Radha Basu, Simmons Executive and Entrepreneur-in-Residence
- April Evans, Partner and Chief Financial Officer of Monitor Clipper Partners
- Neal Yanovsky, CEO of Wirless Toyz
2008 Sponsors
The School of Management thanks Lois Silverman, founder of CRA Managed Care (now Concentra Managed Care), and founding chair of The Commonwealth Institute, for her generous gift and support, which makes the Silverman Business Plan Competition possible. We are also appreciative of the MBA Class of 2002 for their generous support of this business plan initiative.
Sponsors
Eligibility Guidelines
"Winning the Silverman Business Plan Competition has put me in touch with the true power of the SOM community, network and resources. I look forward to paving the way for Proxy, and supporting/promoting the entrepreneurship program in every way possible. It is the vehicle for woman entrepreneurs, and the world should know about it."
2008 Silverman Business Plan Competition Winner HeatherJean MacNeil
"Being an entrepreneur can be a very isolating thing. This competition not only put me in front of teams of mentors to question, prod, and also conquer — but the event itself was rewarding. It was very rewarding to find people actively excited and engaged about my business."
2006 Silverman Business Plan Competition Winner Michelle Conceison