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Namib Beetle Design won the sixth annual Boston College Venture Competition (BCVC), receiving a $10,000 prize to back a business plan that uses novel technologies to supply water to undeveloped regions of the world.
BCVC is a University-wide business plan competition designed to promote and support entrepreneurship at the undergraduate level at BC. With mentoring from experienced alumni, students develop and implement the skills necessary for starting successful businesses. Several sessions throughout the year offer additional coaching and advice from entrepreneurs, law partners, venture capitalists, and other executives.
The team of BC seniors Miguel Galvez and Deckard Sorensen and Trinity University senior Andy McTeague, which has developed a method using nanotechnology to efficiently collect water from condensation, came in first at the BCVC final event on April 11.
Pitching their custom designed, eco-friendly surfboards, Green Lightning Surfboards took second place and a $3,000 prize. The team consists of juniors Brendon Emery and Brennan Smith and University of Massachusetts-Boston students Michael Emery and Kevin Schoenthaler.
Maji Bottles, which plans to donate a portion of revenues from bottle and hat sales to resolving the world’s drinking water crisis, finished third and received $2,000 in prize money. Maji’s team of Maxwell Ade ’12, Paul Veiga ’12, Alex Trautwig ’12 and Austin Nissly ’14 also won a $1,000 prize last Wednesday at Boston College SEED, a subdivision of BCVC designed to foster social entrepreneurship.
The three top teams were chosen from among five teams selected as finalists. The panel of judges included: Greg Dracon, principal of .406 Ventures; Hugh Crean ’93, executive-in-residence at General Catalyst Partners; Lee Hower, partner for NextView Ventures; General Catalyst Partners Managing Director David Orfao; Highland Capital Partners Partner Dan Nova ’83; and Professor of Physics Michael Naughton.