Chapman University student advances to finals at social entrepreneurship business plan competition, finishing 6th out of 28 participants

 

ORANGE, CA – The Chapman University student team won 6th place and $1,000 this past weekend at the Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures ™ Business Plan Competition at Texas Christian University. The Chapman team, lead by Susanna Davidoff, was one of 28 teams from around the world competing in the third annual entrepreneurship competition for undergraduate college students. The competition is different than other business plan competitions because the for-profit startup presented must also contribute social value in some way.

Susana presented on SunChild Collective LLC, a curated online marketplace for trendy fashions and goods created by artisans around the world, combined with a mission to support artisans in their trade.
Susana is a student at Chapman’s Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences majoring in graphic design. She is a non-business major and competed against teams that were predominately business students and presented as teams (SunChild was the only team with 1 presenter). She is currently wrapping up the last semister of her senior year and enrolled in Management 369 Launching a new Venture (K5 Launch), Management 379 Launching a new Venture (incubator), and taking an independent study course in the eVillage that focused on this competition.

“When she began taking classes at the Leatherby Center’s eVillage, she had not taken one business class,” noted Chris Buckstein, director of Chapman’s eVillage and also Susanna’s coach for the competition. “And though she has been challenged, she has found a way to persevere and ultimately launch through the program. In fact, Susanna’s business went live two weeks before the competition and she has seen sales spike as a result of their exposure while at TCU. “

Susana ended up presenting three times: the first round, then the lightning round for all the teams who came in 2nd in the first round, then, because she won the lightning round, she competed again on Saturday among the finalists.

Susanna came off as “smart, savvy and poised,” according to the judges.

Susanna’s company, SunChild Collective, creates a curated marketplace where unique high-end goods designed and/or made by artisans from around the world, are selectively chosen. A portion of the proceeds go to help the artisans with community and personal aid; ranging from buying them needed tools and supplies to organizing farmers markets. More information can be found at www.sunchildcollective.com
Other teams taking part in the competition were from:

Appalachian State University
Baylor University
Christopher Newport University
George Washington University
Grand Valley State University
J. J. Strossmayer University (Croatia)
Monterrey Institute of Technology (Mexico)
Oklahoma State University
Regis University, Royal Roads University (Canada)
Samford University, Southern Methodist University
St. Mary’s University
Syracuse University, University of Arkansas
Texas Christian University
University of Florida
University of Houston
University of North Texas
University of Oklahoma
University of Strathclyde (Scotland)
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Villanova University
Wake Forest University
Walsh University

About the Ralph W. Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Ethics
Established in 1995, Chapman University’s Leatherby Center offers one of the nation’s most respected programs for entrepreneurial young men and women. The center aims to prepare and inspire principled, dynamic entrepreneurs whose ideas improve lives and solve important problems. Through innovative courses and real-world leadership, the center provides students with access to a range of resources, including professional mentoring, entrepreneurial internships, a multi-university network, community resources, events, speakers, research, professional groups, competitions and boot camps. Ranked as the #13 Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program by Business Week, the Leatherby Center is unique in its approach to connecting students with inventors, investors and real-world entrepreneurs. For more information, visit www.chapman.edu/launch

Consistently ranked among the top universities in the West, Chapman University provides a uniquely personalized and interdisciplinary educational experience to highly qualified students. Our programs encourage innovation, creativity and collaboration, and focus on developing global citizen-leaders who are distinctively prepared to improve their community and their world. Visit www.chapman.edu
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