Wayne State students aim for Accelerate Michigan biz contest

Wayne State University expects a solid outing this fall from its students at the Accelerate Michigan Student Idea Competition, an offshoot of the $1 million Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition.

The Accelerate Michigan Student Idea Competition is open to any student attending a Michigan college, and it will award $50,000 to the student(s) with the best business idea or concept. The idea is to help foster more entrepreneurial activity in Michigan's institutions of higher learning.

Wayne State officials are working with a number of students who are already working on businesses. They are also reaching out to student entrepreneur organizations, the E2 Detroit conference and the new Launch Pad program to find more students interested in being their own boss. Wayne State officials expect at least a dozen solid studentpreneurs to compete in the Accelerate Michigan Student Idea Competition.

"We want both quantity and quality," says Ahmad Ezzeddine, associate vice president of educational outreach at Wayne State University. "We want to encourage more students to participate and think about entrepreneurship."

Participants are required to submit a one-page business idea. Semifinalists will make a three-minute video elevator pitch and a 15-minute live pitch. The winners will be decided at the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, a larger entrepreneur competition that is offering $1 million in prizes during the Big Chill hockey game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on December 11.

The deadline for applications for the Accelerate Michigan Student Idea Competition is October 22. For information, click here.

Source: Ahmad Ezzeddine, associate vice president of educational outreach at Wayne State University
Writer: Jon Zemke