The Bull Ring New Venture Competition serves as a launch pad for innovative new ventures from CSUN students while providing access and exposure to mentors, coaching, workshops, and potential investors. The event is hosted by CSUN's David Nazarian College of Business & Economics and has been made possible thanks to the continued generosity and support of distinguished CSUN alum Jeff Marine and his family.
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1ST PLACE ($20,000)
NOSPILL SYSTEMS | Jenna Flynn, Bretiel Danipour, Tammy Nguyen, & Stephanie Villa
NoSpill Systems has created an innovative product that keeps take-out food and beverage trays level and locked in place on the seat of a vehicle, making their transportation safe and secure.
2ND PLACE ($10,000)
HORIZON COVERS | Maja Slopiecka & Ada Slopiecka
Horizon Covers provides tough, reusable luggage covers that keep luggage safe from scratches, dirt, and water during travel. Embedded RFID chip allows real-time luggage tracking.
3RD PLACE ($5,000)
SMART PROSTHETICS | Brandon Cervantes, Hamdi Ahmed, Kevin Vartanian, et al.
Smart Prosthetics is utilizing smart materials to design a prosthetic arm to assist below-the-elbow amputees, who quality for low-cost health insurance, perform everyday tasks.
Our 3 winning teams will also receive a combined $30,000 of follow-on services from our generous in-kind sponsors, DLA Piper (legal), IntersectLA (marketing/branding), and Armanino (finance/accounting).
Each of the 20 semi-finalist teams will also receive $250.
After attending University High School and then CSUN, Jeff found his niche in the apparel industry. His companies, both headquartered in Los Angeles, produce private labels for major chain stores such as Macy’s, Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, and Target and manufacture for companies including Disney, Ford, DreamWorks, Sony, and Universal.
James is founder of Authenticated, a venture studio that invests in dynamic founders, ideas and companies. Their mission is to Authenticate, Illuminate and Accelerate the work of diverse and innovative teams by utilizing content and access to capital and culture to grow and scale businesses. James is a former entertainment exec who has built and sold two companies in the entmt. & tech space.
Karen is the second generation owner of Frieda's, which introduced Kiwifruit, Sugar Snap Peas and Spaghetti Squash to America. She was the first female Chair of the United Fresh Produce Association and has served on numerous boards and leadership positions, including as chairman of the USDA Fruit & Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee and board member of the Federal Reserve Bank.
Susan grew up in Chicago, where she was called Susie by her grandmothers. When Susie grew up to become Susan & moved to California, she brought along her grandmothers' 3X5 handwritten recipe cards. After years in the hospitality business, in 2006 she launched SusieCakes, a premium dessert bakery and has since grown the brand to 26 retail locations throughout CA & TX.
Utpal is a recognized leader in the Telecommunications, Media, and Entertainment (TME) Industry. With a goal of making “Watson Impact 1 Billion Consumers,” Utpal and his team are at the forefront in making Blockchain, Robotics, AI and 5G EDGE real for clients across the globe by piloting use cases, deploying, scaling and replicating B2B/ B2C solutions in all geographies.
APPLICATION DETAILS
Applications were due Sunday, March 10th and required: (1) a 10-25 page slide deck *or* 5-7 page executive summary, AND (2) a video not to exceed 2 minutes.
COMPETITION RULES
1) The competition is open to ALL current CSUN students.
2) The competition is intended for student-created, -managed, and -owned ventures.
3) Teams must be comprised of at least 2 members.
4) At least 50% of team members must be current CSUN students as of the 2018-2019 academic year (Fall 2018 graduates eligible). The "pitch" must be delivered by a CSUN student.
5) Businesses currently earning >$15K in annual revenue are not eligible.
6) Business that have already raised >$50K in funding from outside sources are not eligible.
7) Both for-profit and non-profit business concepts are eligible; however, sources of revenue must be addressed.
8) An individual may only be a member of one team.
9) 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from past Bull Ring Competitions are not eligible.
COMPETITION RUBRIC
MORE INFO
The competition is open to ALL current CSUN students of all majors. Eligibility and application requirements, as well as the competition schedule including deadlines, are posted above. Attendance at startup workshops is recommended, but not required, in order to compete. For additional info, please see the 2018 Final Event printed program here. With remaining questions or to learn more about the program or competition, please contact Ryan Holbrook, Entrepreneurship Program Director in the Nazarian College.
The Entrepreneurship Program at the Nazarian College complements our students’ inherent energy and creativity with the skills and knowledge necessary to evaluate the feasibility of an idea and ultimately pitch, launch, and grow a new venture. Whether planning to create a business or bringing the entrepreneurial mindset to a larger organization, the program prepares students to confidently present to an audience while developing a strong action-bias and a willingness to experiment.
