One team to earn $10,000 and office space from the Bulldog Business Bowl

Entrepreneurs who are finalists in The Citadel Bulldog Business Bowl will soon compete for $10,000 in seed money, as well as office space. Five teams will present full business plans for a diverse array of products and services on April 20 on campus. Competitors include a proposed clothing brand promoting environmental conservation, a collaborative therapy drug management consulting firm, a campus security system giving students the opportunity to self-report shootings, environmentally friendly clay pigeons designed to improve hunting grounds, and a property-tax relief consulting firm.

More than 25 teams submitted entry packages in October 2015, for the first round of the bowl, which consists of three rounds. Eight semi-finalists were chosen in the first round last fall. In January, round two consisted of elevator pitches made to the competition committee and the five finalists were chosen at that time. Each finalist team was assigned a coach and provided with the opportunity to attend a series of educational workshops on how to develop a full business plan.

“One of the teams walked in with an idea and will walk out ready to begin their business – that’s our intention,” said Patrick Manna, a professor in The Citadel School of Business who founded the bowl.

The third and final round will be held from 9 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, in The Citadel’s Bond Hall auditorium, room 165. The awards ceremony will be held at 3:45 p.m. in Bond Hall room 295. Both are open to the public and there is no fee to attend. The presentation schedule is as follows:

In addition to the cash prize, the first place team will win one year of office space at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Catalyst Center. The second place team receives $5,000 with one year of office space.

The Bulldog Business Bowl, which held its inaugural year in 2014-15, is a program designed to support budding entrepreneurs who have an idea for a new product or service, and the desire to turn that idea into a business. It’s open to members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, as well as The Citadel Graduate College’s evening undergraduate and graduate students.

The Citadel School of Business would like to thank the bowl’s sponsors:

• The Citadel Class of 1989 for donating the cash prizes
• The Metro Charleston Chamber of Commerce Catalyst Center, for donating incubator space
• Moondog Animation for donating to the competition’s general fund

The winning team in 2015 was EPS Innovations, a company revolving around a stadium food delivery app that is now operating a pilot system at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The second place team, South Carolina Hemp Growers Association is currently operating in Columbia.

The Citadel School of Business is an AACSB internationally accredited institution with historical military roots of excellence in education, emphasizing leadership development. The school offers five professional pathways: principled entrepreneurship, financial services, accounting, professional selling and supply chain. For more information about The Citadel School of Business, please email [email protected] or call (843) 953-5056.