Posted on May 13, 2016 by Joanna Carver
A team of MBA students from the UTSA College of Business placed second in the International Business Plan competition hosted by the Free Trade Alliance San Antonio last month.
International Business Plan competition team
Team members included Brandon Bius, José González Gullón, Micah Lorenc, Amber Ramirez and Caleb Sharbono.
“I chose to participate in this competition as an opportunity to learn what it takes, end-to-end to start a business,” said Bius.
“The competition allowed us to work as a team, bounce ideas off of each other and fully develop a business plan without real-world consequences.”
The team developed a business plan for Geälla, a high-quality athletic wear company focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle as well as giving back to the community. While the initial concept was developed for the competition, the team plans to continue their efforts and turn their plan into an actual business. Looking to enter other competitions, their next step is to find potential investors.
“I’ve always wanted to start my own business,” said Lorenc, who initiated the idea to form the team. “The competition ignited the entrepreneurial spirit in our team enough to move forward with the business idea.”
Teams were tasked with developing a one-page executive proposal as well as a business plan for a company that focuses on target industries such as aviation, energy, food and manufacturing; includes an international component; and addresses sustainability. Finalists then prepared a formal presentation before a panel of judges.
“Being from Spain, I enjoyed getting to know more about my teammates’ diverse backgrounds and putting into practice a variety of concepts that I have learned in my MBA program,” said González Gullón.
The team was mentored by Lynda de la Viña, the Peter T. Flawn Professor and director of the Center for Global Entrepreneurship. And, two of the students were members of her Global Entrepreneurship class.
This year’s competition saw entrants from eight countries, including India, Italy, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria and Spain. The competition began in 2009 as a way to help students develop the skills to compete and collaborate globally, expand their global network and foster international relationships and understanding.
Wendy Frost—
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— Joanna Carver
