ADA, Okla. – Vivian Tapia of Pauls Valley was among five East Central University students who recently won prizes in the i2E Entrepreneur’s Cup. The students placed in a variety of categories, continuing ECU’s longstanding success at the competition, and bringing in a total of $35,000 in prize and scholarship money.
“I’m incredibly proud of how hard the students worked on their business plans this year,” said Wilburn L. Smith Center for Entrepreneurship Director, Dr. Stacey Bolin. “Each of our students had ideas of their own that they were passionate about and chose to tackle a business plan and presentation that is typically handled by a team of three to six students. Our ECU students worked diligently to prepare a deal summary, participate in an expert interview, write a full business plan with pro forma financials, create a 90-second pitch, and hone a 20-minute investor presentation.”
Tapia was a Small Business finalist and Pitch winner, receiving $2,000 in prize money.
Hunter Cook of Ada placed first in the Small Business category and was awarded $13,000 in prize money.
Alyssa McCullar of Ada placed second in the Small Business category and was awarded $9,000 in prize money.
Godsgift Ezedinma of Enugu, Nigeria, was an Oklahoma Business Roundtable Paulsen Award winner and Small Business semi-finalist and received a $5,000 scholarship.
Jolee Grinstead of Davis was an Oklahoma Business Roundtable Paulsen Award winner and Small Business finalist and received a $5,000 scholarship, as well as $1,000 in prize money.
“The Entrepreneur’s Cup provides real-world experience for aspiring entrepreneurs to practice their skills and receive feedback from professionals as they move forward with their ideas,” Bolin said. “We are very thankful to Love’s and i2E for providing this opportunity.”
Three of the listed students have begun the process of launching their businesses this summer.
