Entrepreneurs From Around the World Entering Boomer Venture Contest
Silicon Valley Boomer Business Plan Competition draws innovators targeting the 40+ marketplace; registration deadline for contestants extended to May 4, 2007.
Santa Clara, CA (PRWEB) April 20, 2007
As global populations grow older, tremendous business opportunities are being created in areas such as housing, finance, healthcare, fitness, fashion, romance and travel.
Responding to these opportunities, entrepreneurs around the globe are developing products and services geared for consumers age 40 and up.
The 2007 Silicon Valley Boomer Business Plan Competition features new ventures from entrepreneurs, early-stage companies and college students around the world.
Those interested in entering the 2007 Boomer Business Plan Competition now have until Friday, May 4 to register as contestants. (The previous registration deadline for contestants was April 20.)
The annual Silicon Valley Boomer Business Plan Competition is co-produced by Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business and Mary Furlong & Associates. For more information, please visit www. boomerventuresummit. com/competition (http://www. boomerventuresummit. com/competition).
Last year's Competition drew more than 70 business plans, from as far away as New Zealand and the Philippines, targeting a range of industries poised for significant growth as the population ages, including medicine, technology, fashion and financial services. Plans submitted last year included treatments for glaucoma and sleep apnea, brain stimulation games, sexy sleepwear for mature women and services that help retirees buy property in Latin America.
"We are constantly in a talent race, trying to identify entrepreneurs with great business ideas," explains Michael Goldberg, a partner at Mohr, Davidow Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture firm that invests in innovative early-stage businesses. "The Boomer Business Plan Competition is a great place to find entrepreneurs who have a vision and an idea to solve a problem around an enormous market."
All contestants will have their plans reviewed by top Silicon Valley venture capitalists and boomer market experts. Five finalists will be chosen in each of two categories -- Health and General.
A panel of judges will review the finalist plans and choose two $10,000 grand prize winners at the 2007 Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit, which takes place on June 19 at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. For more information about the Summit, please visit www. boomerventuresummit. com.
This year's panel of finalist judges includes Charles (Chip) F. Baird, Jr., Managing Partner, North Castle Partners; James P. Firman, Ed. D., President and CEO, National Council on Aging; Jody Holtzman, Director of Strategic Analysis, AARP; James L. Koch, Executive Director of the Center for Science, Technology & Society and Professor of Management, Santa Clara University; Aileen Lee, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; Emilio Pardo, Chief Brand Officer, AARP; Bijan Salehizadeh, MD, Partner, Highland Capital Partners; Robert Stein, President & CEO, American Society on Aging; Brad Vale, Ph. D., VP, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation; Vance Vanier, MD, Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures. Screening judges include Sandra Timmermann, Director, MetLife Mature Market Institute.
About the co-producers
Founded in 1926, the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business program was recently acknowledged among the best across the U. S., and its MBA and Executive MBA programs are ranked 12th and 21st, respectively, in the nation among graduate business programs. More than 80 percent of its 1,100 MBA students are working professionals in Silicon Valley. More information is available at www. scu. edu/business (http://www. scu. edu/business).
Founded in 2003, Mary Furlong & Associates (MFA) is a proven team of business innovators, comprised of talent from marketing, editorial, business, online content and community. Mary Furlong, Ed. D., the firm's founder and CEO, has guided the offline and online 40+ market strategies of leading corporations and nonprofit organizations for more than 20 years. Furlong is Dean's Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business, and previously founded SeniorNet and ThirdAge Media. Her latest book, "Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace," was published by FT Press in February 2007. More information is available at www. maryfurlong. com.
Press Contact:
John Doxey
Mary Furlong & Associates
Ph: 415.290.2050
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