Finalists named in Olin Cup business plan competition

Entrepreneurs offer innovations in medicine, energy, education and design

Judges of the 2010 Olin Cup business plan competition were charged with narrowing the field Nov. 18 as 21 semifinalists faced off in the elevator pitch stage of the race for entrepreneurs at Washington University in St. Louis.

Six ventures were selected to advance to the final round in February 2011 of the annual challenge that will award $75,000 to the most promising enterprise.

The Olin Cup finalists are:

  • BeaconHand, a website where users can find and manage paperwork required to live, work or play in another country;
  • Freiezo LLC, a company developing high-efficiency distributed wind energy systems;
  • Human Canvas, a body art product that is applied like a tattoo but fades after several months;
  • Measured Success, a teacher evaluation tool focused on helping schools find the best teachers;
  • NanoMed LLC, a company developing a superior dural (protective brain layer) substitute for clinical use in human neurological settings; and
  • PulmoCAD LLC, a company developing a computer-assisted diagnosis tool for lung cancer.

For more information on these businesses, visit ideabounce.com.

The competition is sponsored by the Olin Business School and the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Washington University in St. Louis; the Regional Commerce and Growth Association; RubinBrown; St. Louis Commerce Magazine; Polsinelli Shughart; and Lopata Flegel & Co. LLP.

The Olin Cup’s top prize of $75,000 will be awarded Feb. 3, 2011.