LEAP Announces 10 Next Bright Idea Finalists
LEAP Announces 10 Next Bright Idea Finalists
LANSING -- The Lansing Economic Area Partnership last week announced the 10 finalists that were selected for the 2012 Next Bright Idea competition.
The finalists will present their ideas before a panel of judges on Tuesday, Nov. 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the former Barnes & Noble space in East Lansing, 333 E. Grand River Ave. The five high school finalists will begin pitching at 5:30 p.m. while the five college finalists will follow.
This year's event is sponsored by Loomis, Ewert, Parsley, Davis, Gotting P.C. The event is free to attend and light hors d'oeuvres will be provided. Please register at www.nextbrightidea2012.eventbrite.com.
Students were asked to submit their ideas to www.nextbrightidea.com starting on Sept. 24 and ending Oct. 31. A total of 23 ideas were submitted to the site. Judges' criteria included creativity, viability, scalability, benefit to the region, and presentation skills.
High School Finalists:
Alex Noffisinger - Underwater Robot, Stockbridge High School
Hananiel Setiawan – Peer Tutoring for Students, Okemos High School
Grant Beeman – Smart Darts, Homeschooled Student
Matthew Suandi - Offshore Rip Current Alert System, Williamston High School
Treeana Scott – Carlacane, Lansing Sexton High School
College Finalists:
Amit Shah - Community Hedge Fund, Michigan State University
Joshua Leider - CritiqueU, Michigan State University
Maraia Cochran - It starts with dinner, Lansing Community College
Lucas Henneken - Let's do some light recycling, Lansing Community College
Mary Millar - Social Benefits of Urban Sustainability, Michigan State University
To read more about each final, visit www.nextbrightidea.com.
The five finalists in each category will do a two minute elevator pitch to the judges. The winner of each of the competitions will receive $1,000 cash, mentoring opportunities and other startup resources.
The Lansing Economic Area Partnership is a coalition of area leaders committed to building a prosperous and vibrant region where business can thrive. To do this, LEAP helps entrepreneurs start new businesses, help existing businesses grow, and attract new businesses to the region. For more information about LEAP, www.purelansing.com.
