Four Finalist Teams Vie for Top Prize at 2023 Harriet Stephenson Business Plan Competition
Posted: May 30, 2023
Friday, June 2, 5–7:30 p.m.
World Trade Center Seattle
2200 Alaskan Wy #410
RSVP required at HSBPC23.eventbrite.com
Four teams of Seattle University students will compete for the top prize of $20,000 at the 2023 Harriet Stephenson Business Plan Competition (HSBPC) finals. The finals are free and open to the public. Due to limited capacity at the venue, World Trade Center Seattle, interested attendees should RSVP to save their spot.
Jane is an exclusive telehealth platform meeting the unique healthcare needs of women experiencing breast cancer by leveraging technology and a non-traditional workforce to deliver accessible, personalized, high-quality and affordable care. Jane is envisioned to debut as a B2C telehealth app offering genetic counseling/testing, biopsy pathology review/education, breast cancer navigation, behavioral health services, nutrition, physical therapy and menopause care. Jane's co-founder and CEO is Heidi Dishneau, ARNP, LEMBA '23.
Oakmoss Laboratory Services provides laboratory setup services to junior research faculty, supporting them during the first critical year of their faculty position. Oakmoss aims to furnish multi-tiered, customized laboratory setups based on the junior faculty's research and budget needs, with setup completed in as little as six weeks. Founder Irina Muller, PhD, is an MBA student at Seattle University's Albers School of Business and Economics.
SmartDashAI is an AI-powered marketing assistant for small- to medium-sized businesses that lack marketing budget and expertise. The marketing assistant will utilize AI to offer tailored content creation, intelligent scheduling, strategic social media posting recommendations and marketing insights. SmartDash AI was co-founded by CEO/CTO Zachary Jeffreys, MSCS '23, and CSO/COO Robert Griffith.
SMER is developing a new technology to extend organ transplant viability and biological functions from 24 hours to months. The startup has established a fully functioning prototype with proof-of-concept results of human cell suspension and animal tissue. SMER is the brainchild of Shen Ren, PhD, assistant teaching professor at Seattle University's College of Engineering, and Vincent Reitinger, BSME '25 (pictured l, r above).
“For 25 years, the Harriet Stephenson Business Plan Competition has been the first testing ground for Seattle University students’ business ideas," said Peter Rowan, Executive Director of Seattle University's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center which organizes the annual event. "This year’s finalist teams have some of the most innovative and creative solutions to today’s business challenges, and it has been a privilege to support and mentor them in this early stage of their entrepreneurial journeys.”
The HSBPC grand prize of $20,000 is sponsored by the Herbert B. Jones Foundation and the Madeline Haydon Award for Entrepreneurship.
About the Harriet Stephenson Business Plan Competition (HSBPC)
Celebrating its 25th year, the HSBPC was started in 1998 by Dr. Harriet Stephenson, a Seattle University professor who began teaching at the Albers School of Business and Economics in 1967. The competition was designed to help students and alumni launch new business ventures, including for-profit businesses, not-for-profit organizations, corporate entrepreneurship and social enterprise. Organized by Seattle University's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, the event is open to Seattle University students and alumni.
About the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) at Seattle University
The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) was founded in 1990 within the Albers School of Business & Economics, thanks to a generous Jones Foundation grant. In 2000, Kent Johnson created the Lawrence K. Johnson Endowed Entrepreneurship Chair, in honor of his father.
The IEC is an active business gymnasium that accelerates “fit for the future” Seattle University students so they can apply entrepreneurship theory and innovation to solve real-life problems, launch new ventures that reflect their core values, interests and talents, and advance the common good through social entrepreneurship and business innovation. Seattle University students have access to a core Innovation & Entrepreneurship curriculum that includes an undergraduate minor and graduate certificate, as well as integrated experiential learning, within the Albers School of Business and Economics.