Endicott College Announces "Spark Tank"
April 11, 2016 – On Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at 6pm, Endicott College will once again host Spark Tank!, its annual business plan pitch event where student businesses will compete to win $5000! The event takes place in the Rose Performance Hall, Manninen Center for the Arts, Endicott College, 376 Hale Street, Beverly. The event is free and the public is invited to attend. Tickets can be reserved on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
The event, which is co-sponsored by the Angle Center for Entrepreneurship and FUEL, the College’s student venture accelerator program, was a huge success last year. It was decided to move pitch presentations to a larger venue at the Rose Performance Hall to better accommodate the expected enthusiastic crowd.
According to Dean Michael Paige of Endicott’s Gerrish School of Business, “The student businesses this year have been hard at work perfecting their businesses and their plans. We have businesses focused on worker skills training, protective sports gear, social entrepreneurship and social media apps, and other topics. The stakes are high...these students will be competing for five thousand dollars. Even more importantly is the valuable feedback and advising they will get from this year’s impressive judging panel.”
This year’s judges include Ric Upton, Pam Hulbert, and Nick DiBenedetto.
Ric Upton, Founder of Gloucester Innovation, is an executive who has been involved in the development and growth of technology-based businesses for more than 30 years. Ric focuses on promoting the growth of businesses involved in data analytics, and ocean and remote sensing and autonomy in the Greater Boston area. Ric’s network, made from his past experiences as a serial entrepreneur and former Executive-in-Residence at General Catalyst Partners, leverage entrepreneurial, financial, and academic resources to further develop businesses.
Pam Hulbert, owner of Plum Consignment on Cabot Street in Beverly, graduated from Endicott College in 2002 with a BFA in Visual Communications/Graphic Design. After graduating, Pam spent a number of years working in a small ad shop, a museum, and in real estate, before coming to the realization that she was not cut out for a typical 9-5 desk job. Pam decided to put her creative nature to use in other ways and start her own business. Plum Consignment has been in business for four years now and Pam has no intentions of slowing down.
Nick DiBenedetto is a Massachusetts certified landscape professional and owner of ND Landscape, Inc. He first started at the age of 18, and within the first year of business he had revenues of $87,000. By 2015, Nick had gown his business to 85 employees, 50 commercial clients, 150 residential clients, and over $10 million in revenue. Nick also runs GrassMasterPlus, a lawn and plant health care division.
Doors open at 5:30pm at the Rose Performance Hall on the campus of Endicott College with the event kicking off sharply at 6pm.
For more information on the event, go to www.ecfuel.com
Tickets can be reserved on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/