An interdisciplinary team of LMU entrepreneurship and engineering students reached the finals of the 2019 Values and Ventures Competition presented by the TCU Neeley Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The team won Honorable Mention and $2,500 out of 56 teams from universities around the world.
Ben Davis, Masaki Takamatsu, Matt Tejada, Charity Waddy and Richard Walker pitched an innovative startup venture called MobieDock, a solar-powered charging and docking station for e-scooters that reduces clutter while providing sustainable charging.
“This is the largest and best run collegiate competition in the U.S., maybe even the world,” said David Choi, director of the LMU Fred Kiesner Center for Entrepreneurship.
Professor Choi sends a team of LMU students to the TCU competition each spring to pitch their socially conscious business idea for a chance to win cash prizes and gain investor interest. In fact, Choi’s book, Values-Centered Entrepreneurs and Their Companies, was instrumental in getting the TCU competition launched 10 years ago.
“TCU has one of the toughest business plan competitions in the nation,” said Dayle Smith, dean of the College of Business Administration. “To qualify and then make the finals is amazing! Congrats to our team of students and thanks to Professor Choi for his leadership and support – and for keeping LMU in the mix with all the great entrepreneurship programs in the country.”
