Clark Atlanta University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development (CIED) Selects Finalists for Blackstone Launchpad Ideas Competition!
12/13/2022
ATLANTA, GA (December 13, 2022) – The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development (CIED) is pleased to announce that four student teams from Clark Atlanta University have been chosen as campus-round winners for the Blackstone Launchpad Ideas Competition. The competition had four categories in which students from all disciplines across campus were invited to compete: Social & Climate Impact, Health & Life Sciences, Consumer Products & Services, and General. After 57 team submissions across campus, one idea was selected for each category, with each team winning $1,000 towards their idea. Additionally, these four teams will represent Clark Atlanta University at the national competition, vying against 50-plus member universities in the Blackstone Launchpad network for an additional prize of $10,000 per category.
The Ideas Competition is a virtual business plan competition powered by our partner, StartupTree, and was designed for students with no prior entrepreneurship experience. The competition was created so that any student, no matter their major or career plans, could practice the important skills of distilling and presenting a latent idea. All undergraduate and graduate students with an idea or a prototype were invited to apply.
The CIED extends a special thank you to our CAU alumnae judges, Myrah Murrell, Founding President of the CAU School of Business Alumni Network Affiliate, Inc and Jacquelyn Rodgers, founder of greentopgifts.com. The judges were integral to reviewing the many creative submissions from students across campus. This competition was also made possible through the Blackstone Launchpad Charitable Foundation, who is a key supporter of the CAU Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development.
Congratulations to the 2022 campus-round winners:
Category: General
Tatianna St. Louis (Criminal Justice), RaceBuddyGo
RaceBuddyGo is an automated action camera mount that allows car enthusiasts, videographers, and film producers to safely record movie-quality videos from a high-speed moving vehicle.
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Category: Consumer Products & Services
JaQuana Jones (MBA) & Nyla Graham (MBA), Magic Makeup Machine
The Magic Makeup Machine automatically washes, sanitizes, and dries makeup brushes, palettes, and tools in bulk to save time and positively impact skin health
Category: Social & Climate Impact
Stephanie Holloman-Curtis (MPA), A Wardrobe Wish, Inc
A Wardrobe Wish, Inc packages seven days' worth of clothing, five school day outfits, casual Saturday and Sunday best outfits, and delivers the package of clothes to grade school students who are in need.
Category: Health & Life Sciences
Bianca Colon-Perez (Business Admin.), Nutriflash
Nutriflash is a mobile application that assists people with meal tracking depending on dietary needs. Users will be able to customize the app based on their dietary needs and the capability to take pictures of restaurant menus
For more information about student opportunities with CIED or the Blackstone LaunchPad, please email the Associate Director, Dr. Ronald Cetoute, at rcetoute@cau.edu
About Clark Atlanta University
Established in 1988 by the historical consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869). Clark Atlanta University continued a 150-year legacy rooted in African American tradition and focused on the future.
Through global innovation, transformative educational experiences, and high-value engagement.
CAU cultivates lifted lives that transform the world. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson, American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing "The Black National Anthem"; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu.
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