Team takes $1,500 in business contest
Jillian Krotki
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: News
It's an unusual equation: business students riding a limousine around the Indianapolis 500, pitching their business plans, but it all adds up to big money.
David Brim, Scott Wall and Carl Henderson of the UCF team were named finalists in the National Nascent 500 Business Plan Competition March 28 and received $1,500. Their team went on to win first place in UCF's business plan competition, The Joust Tournament, on April 11 and took home $12,000.
In the Nascent competition, each team was given eight minutes to pitch its business plan to a group of three judges in a limousine while cruising around the speedway. In addition to the ride, each team was able to tour the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
The UCF team pitched its idea for an online networking Web site called Group Table. Group Table is designed to simplify group work in classes and allow the exchange of notes, outlines and other files.
"Group Table was created to help students save time and get better grades by maximizing the power of their group interactions and bringing them conveniently online, the way our generation likes to work," Brim said. "Group Table mirrors the same interactions of a physical group meeting but goes a step further, allowing students to add to discussions at their convenience and manage all of their groups simultaneously from one location."
Wall and Brim came up with the idea for Group Table about this time last year when they realized that getting groups and teams together for projects was extremely difficult given the hectic schedules of most college students. After talking to other students, they found that they weren't alone in this problem. They partnered with Henderson and began work on their Web site. They released Group Table to the public in February.
Students across the country are now utilizing this online environment to work on everything from simple group projects to law school mock trials. With a predicted increase in college enrollment in the next few years, the team hopes to continue expanding its Web site and help ease the common stresses of college students.
David Brim, Scott Wall and Carl Henderson of the UCF team were named finalists in the National Nascent 500 Business Plan Competition March 28 and received $1,500. Their team went on to win first place in UCF's business plan competition, The Joust Tournament, on April 11 and took home $12,000.
In the Nascent competition, each team was given eight minutes to pitch its business plan to a group of three judges in a limousine while cruising around the speedway. In addition to the ride, each team was able to tour the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
The UCF team pitched its idea for an online networking Web site called Group Table. Group Table is designed to simplify group work in classes and allow the exchange of notes, outlines and other files.
"Group Table was created to help students save time and get better grades by maximizing the power of their group interactions and bringing them conveniently online, the way our generation likes to work," Brim said. "Group Table mirrors the same interactions of a physical group meeting but goes a step further, allowing students to add to discussions at their convenience and manage all of their groups simultaneously from one location."
Wall and Brim came up with the idea for Group Table about this time last year when they realized that getting groups and teams together for projects was extremely difficult given the hectic schedules of most college students. After talking to other students, they found that they weren't alone in this problem. They partnered with Henderson and began work on their Web site. They released Group Table to the public in February.
Students across the country are now utilizing this online environment to work on everything from simple group projects to law school mock trials. With a predicted increase in college enrollment in the next few years, the team hopes to continue expanding its Web site and help ease the common stresses of college students.