The Third Annual Pace Pitch Contest
Finalists
Over seventy people applied to make a pitch this year and selecting ten Finalists and two Alternates was a difficult task for the Selection Committee. We would like to congratulate the following Finalists and Alternates:
Ten Finalists
Zeko Abas, Kori Lambert, and Frank L. Russo - Touch Calendars, Pace University (Lubin eMBA)
Chiranjeey Bordoloi and Peter-Charles Bright - SweetShelter.com, Pace University (Seidenberg DPS)
Hardik Gohil - Renaissance*, Pace University (Lubin MBA)
Nicole S. Kendall - Applied Learning Initiative*, Pace University (Seidenberg MS)
Heather O'Shea - Soyfully Delicious, Pace University (Lubin BBA)
William Phelps - Yamodo, Pace University (Lubin MBA)
Anas Sabri - New York Loan Exchange, Pace University (Lubin MS)
Alexander Salzman and Chris Advansun - Rethos, Princeton University (Economics AB)
Dwayne Sykes - 360 Disability Solutions*, Pace University (alumnus)
Justin Wohlstadter - ThoughtLoft, Harvard University (Economics AB)
Two Alternates
Art Gillman - The Satya Initiative*, University of Connecticut (alumnus)
Catalin Stefanovici - NomadSkiing, Polytechnic University (Computer Science BS)
* Social Venture (all others are New Business Concepts)
Pitch Summaries and Biographies
Zeko Abas, Kori Lambert, and Frank L. Russo - New Business Concept - Touch Calendars
Life changes at a moment's notice. Today plans change so often that it becomes next to impossible to coordinate business, personal, and family events. As technology advances, we have become more connected, but less organized. Paper calendars do not adjust daily and cannot be viewed remotely; digital calendars cannot hang on the wall or bring the fun of pictures, and most do not synchronize with other calendars. Our new business venture, Touch Calendars, marries the best of digital and paper calendars. Built to hang on the wall and boasting a touch-screen interface, capabilities include synchronizing with other calendars, playing sounds, recording voice messages, scheduling alerts, showing views by person or dates, displaying custom pictures, keeping notes, and much more. Users can access www.TouchCalendars.com anywhere to view updated events and click to agree or disagree with availability. As events are entered or changed, people can receive updates through devices such as e-mail, PDAs, and cell phone text messages.
The Family Touch Calendar (the first of the Touch Calendars we plan to bring to market) is the gatekeeper of family events, warming the kitchen with a constant cycle of family photos. Moving forward, additional Touch Calendars will be introduced including The Athletic Touch Calendar (targeting sports fanatics with sports trivia and major events pre-programmed), The Artistic Touch Calendar (showing different artists and their work), The Culinary Touch Calendar (displaying different recipes and cooking ideas, etc), to name a few.
There is no calendar that can be found today to rival the Touch Calendar, but the necessary technology already exists. The technological challenge is merging the components (touch-screen, software, wireless capabilities, memory, etc.) in a way that will be both affordable and durable enough to hang on every kitchen wall.
Biographies
Zeko Abas is a well-rounded telecommunications executive with 12 years of financial and sales related experience. With English as his fifth language, Zeko became the first in his family to earn both an undergraduate and a graduate degree. He is currently an eMBA student at Pace University and is expected to graduate in January 2007. In addition to working and studying full time, Zeko is a full time soccer and football coach for his three children.
Kori Lambert earned her BA at Eckerd College with majors in Russian Studies and Literature. She will earn her eMBA from Pace University in January 2007. With a piqued interest in Natural Language Processing, she went on to achieve an MSCSIS at Sacred Heart University. As a software engineer, she worked on a team of two that developed a speech recognition based system, resulting in three patents. Kori is now the US Regional Manager for the Microsoft Services team at UBS Investment Bank.
Frank L. Russo is an Assistant Vice President with Aon Horizon Consultants, a division of Aon, which provides insurance consulting services for Fortune 500 companies. He specializes in operational risk management and loss consulting as a direct extension of corporate business continuity strategies. His skills are utilized by clients in a broad array of industries, such as corporate banking, retail, broadcasting, real estate development, and a variety of manufacturing businesses. Frank graduated with a BS degree from Rutgers University. Frank attends Pace University and will earn his eMBA in January 2007.
Chiranjeey Bordoloi and Peter-Charles Bright - New Business Concept - SweetShelter.com
Business Overview: Sweetshelter.com is a Web 2.0 new business concept focused on the residential rental real estate marketplace. It may be described as:
- "ebay.com for rentals" in markets where rental units are in short-supply
- "lendingtree.com for renter leads" in markets where tenants are in short-supply
These offerings have an addressable market size greater than $2.2 Billion.
SweetShelter has used $72,000 founder's investment to build and test the "lendingtree.com" component of the business model. With an angel investment of $1 Million the rental auction platform could be built and beta-launched. Alternatively, a VC investment of $2.5 Million would enable a quicker launch path to achieving a successful commercial rollout.
Market Size: 79 million renters in the U.S. occupying 34 million rental housing units. 158 million renters occupying 68 million rental units in other global markets.
Revenue Model:
- Auction Fees
- Highly qualified lead sales and subscriptions
- Advertising (Video, CPA etc.)
Secret Sauce: Patent-pending business method for items 1 & 2 above.
Marketing and Sales: Integrated online and offline marketing campaign targeting landlords, consumers and real-estate professionals.
Competition: realtybid.com (real estate sales auctions) Note: We would have a distinct first-mover advantage in the real estate rental space
2-day controlled environment test results: For "lending tree.com" component of business model only:
- 890 unique visitors
- 306 visitors converted to registered users (34% conversion rate)
- $110 subscription revenue + $80 lead sales + $65 Google ad clicks
Exit Strategy: Develop a powerful brand, deliver an exceptional user experience, grow financial/user metrics exponentially and get acquired by a major portal or competitor within 2 - 3 years.
Biographies
Chiranjeev Bordoloi is a DPS in Computing student at Pace University, expected to graduate in 2008. Mr. Bordoloi has successfully delivered complex multi-million dollar projects at IBM, Deloitte etc. in a variety of industries including the new media industry.
Peter-Charles Bright has successfully completed millions of dollars worth of rental transactions as an agent at NYC's largest real estate firm. He is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University. Both Mr. Bordoloi & Mr. Bright are members of the Real Estate Board of New York.
Hardik Gohil - Social Venture - Renaissance
As human beings, we have an inherent desire to be loved and accepted. In the mad rush of today's world, most individuals around the world spend an enormous part of their lives filled with fear, stress and loneliness. The present world is crammed with people, who are not alone, but deep inside they are horribly lonely. This condition only worsens when people near their retirement age, accompanied with deteriorating health and a younger generation deeply indulged in the same mad rush with no time for others.
Renaissance aims at offering re-birth at retirement to people between 65 and 74 years of age who have already retired or are nearing retirement. A survey on demographic profiles by Metlife reveals that the US population between 65-74 years is approximately 20 million. By 2030, this population will more than double to 40 million, and by 2050 will grow to 50 million. Of this population, about 15% of men and 35% of women live alone.
At Renaissance, we have a whole new approach towards retirement. We strive to make retirement one of the best events that ever happened to elderly individuals. We believe that this is the age where one can actually relish life, allowing maximum time to spend for oneself, away form the hustle of the everyday life.
Renaissance would be an organization aimed at knowledge-based cultural exchange programs for the retired along with providing a one spot solution to many of the elderly needs. Renaissance would team up with hotels, airlines, credit card companies, banks, insurance companies, reputed portfolio management companies, hospitals and tourism and thus provide goods and services at a cheaper rate. The collaboration would be a win-win situation for all parties involved.
Biography
Born and raised in India, Hardik was exposed to diverse cultures and views right from childhood. His views and vistas were nurtured in his family. After his schooling, he made a diligent effort and got admission in the prestigious B.K. Majumdar Institute of Business Administration (BKMIBA) of H.L. College, Ahmedabad. Here he pursued his Bachelor's in Business Administration. The three-year course inculcated in him a strong foundation of the basic concepts of Business. Working at his family business during the summer strengthened his belief in financial management and to get further exposure in the field of finance, he pursued his Post-Graduate diploma in Investment and financial analysis from S.D Damodar School of Commerce, Ahmedabad, affiliated to Gujarat University.
He is currently in his first semester at the Lubin School of Business at Pace University. He is pursuing an MBA in financial management and aims to join a multi-national investment banking company upon graduating.
Nicole S. Kendall - Social Venture - Applied Learning Initiative
While pursuing their graduate degrees, students often hope for real world experience in order to apply their education to a tangible endeavor. Applied Learning Initiative is a social venture that provides such an experience, the opportunity to apply the theory, concepts and models that have been studied in the classroom to an actual organizational issue.
Structure
A team of 5-7 students will frame the problem, identify the key issues and determine the most appropriate solution. Students will meet with company representatives to present their findings and recommendations. The course would take place over the course of an academic semester/year and be supervised by a faculty member.
University Involvement
This concept will require minimal oversight from the University. Dean Hill has agreed to help generate initial support for this initiative within the business and university community. A committee of students and university administrators will work together to solicit new business clients. This course will be open to all university graduate students.
Organizational Benefits
Organizations will benefit from the collective talents and focused efforts of cross-functional Pace student teams pooled together to produces well-reasoned analysis and applicable solutions to their organizational needs. The internship also provides a tangential recruiting opportunity for both students and companies alike.
Conclusion
Ultimately, this internship would provide Pace University with an excellent opportunity to showcase the talents and skills of its students while building and strengthening its relationship to the business community. For the student fortunate enough to participate, Applied Learning Initiative just may be the opportunity of a lifetime.
Biography
Nicole S. Kendall will earn her Masters in Telecommunications at Pace University's Ivan G. Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems in 2007. Her goal is to develop a successful career in securing and maintaining data effectively for end users while simultaneously increasing database functionality and security. Ms. Kendall's professional experience includes database management, unemployment tax analysis, and payroll administration. She has worked as a Consultant with the Domestic & Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church developing automated databases for their General Convention, which is held every three years to go over the governing of the Episcopal Church. Ms. Kendall also worked with Barnett Associates as a MIS Data Analyst, where she created and maintained financial ledgers to support unemployment tax decision-making.
Ms. Kendall is extremely involved in the graduate and alumni community at Pace University. She is a member of Professional Women in Corporate America and the Recent Alumni Committee. Recently she was a panelist for Pace University's Women in Computing Conference for high school girls. Ms. Kendall received a BS in Information Systems from Pace University in 2000.
Heather O'Shea - New Business Concept - Soyfully Delicious
Soyfully Delicious: a hip, comfortable, vegetarian buffet style fast-food restaurant chain that will open in downtown New York City and will be the cheapest, friendliest, and healthiest place to go on a lunch break. Charging the flat rate of $4 per pound of food; Soyfully will also offer a laidback environment with sofas, free wireless and magazines. It will be the first completely vegetarian fast food chain in New York City leading to the potential to develop into a franchising opportunity.
The Vegetarian, health food, and organic restaurant industry is most certainly in the growth stage. Therefore, there are not many competitors in this specific niche, entry barriers are low, and the potential for growth is very high.
The target market for Vegetarian restaurants mostly consists of males and females in their early 20s to late 30s. These males and females are college students, college graduates, or upscale professionals. They are vegetarian, dieting, or health-conscious. They listen to underground music and are the first to know about the happening bars and clubs. They live in urban areas, rent apartments and have a mid-scale income. Those in this socio-demographic are progressive minded and liberal. (Claritas: My Best Segments Zip-Code lookup. Lifestage Segment 02: Young Achievers. http://www.claritas.com/mybestsegments/default.jsp 2005 Claritas.)To meet the progressive minds of our target, the vegetables will be purchased from local organic certified New York farms.
Heather O'Shea will be the sole proprietor, in charge of all marketing functions. She will be a graduate of Pace University in January 2007 with a Bachelor's of Business Administration in both Marketing and Management. Her experience as promotions director at the radio station has given her leadership experience and has also taught her how to make contacts in an industry. Her internship experience in advertising firms has also taught her consumer behavior research and how to create effective advertising.
Biography
Heather O'Shea is a full-time Pace University student who is graduating in January 2007. She is pursuing a dual BBA in Marketing with a concentration in Advertising and Promotions and Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. She is also the treasurer of the Pace Advertising club. Heather created her position as promotions manager at WPUB, Pace University Broadcasting. As promotions manager, she leads a team to pursue sales on air and in their monthly music and arts magazine, promote WPUB events, and set up public relations between promoters and the radio station. In addition, Heather spent the past summer as a media research analyst intern at Mediaedge:CIA where she researched consumer attitudes and media preferences for clients. She is currently a new business intern at Kirshenbaum Bond and partners where she assists account executives in pitching campaigns to possible new clients. Heather hopes one day to open a vegetarian restaurant in the New York City area. In her free time she likes to cook, knit, play the bass guitar, and ride her bike.
William Phelps - New Business Concept - Yamodo
Idea Storm Products, LLC is a new start-up company that invents games designed to inspire the imagination. Idea Storm's first product will be Yamodo™, an innovative drawing game that promises to inspire the imagination and great conversation.
Yamodo is different from other games because it is not only outrageously fun, but focuses on creative collaboration instead of an individual winner. As an ice-breaker, the game's inviting design promises to have people talking in no time. It is also a must for family game night, and is even proving successful in educational settings.
Yamodo is well protected, falling within copyright and trademark laws which make the game cost-effective to protect, and difficult to copy. The product is being tested in the gift, toy, and book markets. Initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and interest from Barnes & Noble bookstores has resulted in the product being tested online. Due to the game's inexpensive cost, the majority of the initial capital invested by Idea Storm will be used for trade shows, public relations, and start-up fees. Additional capital will be needed once Yamodo is accepted by one of the large retailers currently considering it including Target, Barnes & Noble, and Borders Books. Once accepted, short-term investments would be required to fulfill an order that would likely average 15,000 games.
Biography
William (Bill) graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor's degree in industrial design and a concentration in business. Since then, he has enhanced his professional career by teaching design courses in Australia, establishing a product consultancy, and working for a variety of entrepreneurial companies. Bill is currently attending the Pace part-time MBA program for entrepreneurship and international business (expected graduation 2008), while continuing to work full-time as the Vice President of Olympia Sports - an apparel design company in Elmsford, NY.
Bill's design background is tempered by a strong business and entrepreneurial drive that has allowed him to succeed in diverse roles including product design, graphic design, management, manufacturing, and sales. His adaptive and resourceful nature is enhanced by a hands-on approach to all aspects of the job.
Anas Sabri - New Business Concept - New York Loan Exchange
New York Loan Exchange is an online auction marketplace to facilitate lending and borrowing directly between individuals. We will act as intermediary cutting out financial institutions to allow people to get the best rates possible on loans. Borrowers can list their request for the loan and lenders can bid to buy it. The platform will also have the secondary markets where the lenders can sell the loans to other investors. We will service loans that will facilitate credit inquiries, disbursement of loans, accounting, collection and credit reporting services. There is a lot of inefficiency in the consumer lending market. The platform will be hosted online thus expanding the credit markets to reach low-income groups, rural areas and foreign countries.
The main source of revenue will be from commission on trades executed on our platform. The borrowers will be charged 1% commission; the lenders and buyers of the loan in secondary market will be charged .5% commission on the loan amount.
The online lending market is growing at high rate. Jim Bruene, editor of Online Banking Report, predicts that this niche industry will originate 124,000 loans totaling $978 million in 2010. Our direct competitor, Prosper.com claims to have originated $18 million loan in the 9 months of their operations to date. We expect to originate loans worth $250 million on our platform in the year 2010.
We have a patent pending on the platform that will give us a competitive edge. Among other areas, we will continue to innovate in advisory services, tools for pre and post trade analysis and tools to safeguard against fraud. It is critical to our success that we comply with the concerned national and state laws in the highly regulated financial industry.
Biography
Anas has extensive experience in the financial industry. He has worked in Investment Banking as well as the Asset Management industry. He has worked with ABN Amro as the Product Controller of interest rate swap books. He has internship experience as an Operations Analyst at Morgan Stanley and as a Research Analyst at Knott Partners, a value oriented investment fund. Anas has also consulted with Brand One, an early stage company helping with the vision and business plan development. Anas holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Coastal Carolina University with a double major in Finance and Marketing. Currently, he is enrolled full time in Master of Science in Investment Management program at Pace University, NY. He is also pursuing a part time Certificate Program in Investment Banking from New York University.
Alexander Salzman and Chris Advansun - Social Venture - Rethos
Rethos is a socially oriented media company specializing in integrated cause marketing that focuses on social and environmental issues to unite and engage socially responsible corporations, non-profit organizations, and 18-34 year olds worldwide. Rethos has a resolute mission of offering a global platform for solution driven change. Rethos offers a social networking platform and media portal that unites like-minded individuals and organizations to generate solutions to urgent social and environmental issues. As a platform for change, Rethos.com enables users to receive comprehensive information, unite with allies who share a common passion and purpose, and take urgently needed action.
rethos n. A revision of fundamental beliefs or attitudes; a shift in focus and objective for a culture or era.
"Have you recently ruminated on the litany of social and environmental problems facing our world and wondered, as a society, how we manage such a paralysis towards meaningful change? Climate change, environmental degradation, poverty, hunger, armed conflict, injustice - yet the status quo persists. You are not alone. Rethos.com is a social networking Web site and media portal created by and for those who refuse to stand by. Its mission is to create an online platform from which individuals, non-profit organizations and social responsible companies can unite to realize a world that is socially just, environmentally sustainable and free of armed conflict. Rethos.com's members believe that as consumers and global citizens, we have tremendous power to effect change.
Biographies
Alex Salzman began his career as an entrepreneur at the age of 17 by approaching Toronto based entertainment company Sights and Sounds with a strategy to help them win national sponsorships. The company successfully implemented the plan and the experience afforded him valuable insight into youth marketing and corporate event sponsorship. Shortly thereafter, Alex organized and successfully executed a charity bicycle tour, "The Vancouver to Toronto Ride For Youth". Instigating the project afforded him valuable people and project management skills, as well as opened his eyes to the power of youth to bring about social change. In 2004, Alex postponed his degree in behavioral economics at Princeton University to assist in the launch of TerraCycle Inc - a New Jersey based company producing the world's first product derived from and packaged in waste! Alex assumed the roll of Director of Product Development. After co-founding Blue Horizon Media in 2005, Alex returned to Princeton University to complete his degree.
Chris Advansun is the essence of a social entrepreneur, having launched ventures in both the for-profit and non-profit space. In 2001, Chris founded SmartPages, a company specializing in executing product-based fundraising campaigns for Ottawa based charities addressing poverty. This valuable experience lead him to work closely with such non-profit organizations as The Shepherds of good Hope and The Kanata Food Cupboard, and manage advertising clients and distribution partners including GoodLife Fitness, Pizza Pizza and Chapters Indigo. In developing SmartPages, Chris realized a commercial enterprise with a social mission, whose success depended on that of his non-profit clients. In 2002, Chris launched Our Changing Planet, a public education campaign communicating a science-based analysis of climate change to Ottawa secondary school students in interactive workshops. Co-founding Blue Horizon Media answers to his personal desire to use his expertise in communication and entrepreneurship to make a significant social contribution.
Dwayne Sykes - Social Venture - 360º Disability Solutions
360º Disability Solutions, Inc.'s mission is to provide IT Support and Solutions to individuals with significant disabilities and functional limitations. 360 Technicians will interview the prospective clients, analyze their technical needs, design the computer to fit their disability, and later provide remote or in-house technical support. If the client does not have a computer 360 will provide one through the PC Sponsorship Program. 360's focus is to provide these programs and services to children, adults, veterans and senior citizens with disabilities in the NYC area for a no or a small fee, which will be income contingent. This is based
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![[Zeko Abas]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/ZekoAbas.jpg)
![[Kori Lambert]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/KoriLambert.jpg)
![[Frank Russo]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/FrankRusso.jpg)
![[Chiranjeey Bordoloi]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/ChiranjeevBordoloi.jpg)
![[PeterCharles]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/PeterCharles.jpg)
![[Hardik Gohil]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/HardikGohil.jpg)
![[Nicole S. Kendall]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/NicoleKendall.jpg)
![[Heather O'Shea]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/HeatherOShea.jpg)
![[William Phelps]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/WilliamPhelps.jpg)
![[ Anas Sabri]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/AnasSabri.jpg)
![[Alexander Salzman]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/AlexanderSalzman.jpg)
![[Chris Advansun]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/ChrisAdvansun.jpg)
![[Dwayne Sykes]](http://appsrv.pace.edu/Lubin/images/pitchcontest/2006/DwayneSykes.jpg)
