The New Venture Competition Crowns a New Crop

01 Jun 2017

The New Venture Competition Crowns a New Crop

Re: Vera Makarov (MBA 2010); Rudina Seseri (MBA 2005); Anthony Tan (MBA 2011); Andy Jones (MBA 1997); Alexandre Skander Allegue (PLDA 18); Etienne Lacroix (MBA 2011); By: Dan Morrell

Topics: Career-Awards Entrepreneurship-General Technology-Online Technology Geography-Global

NVC 20: This year marked the 20th anniversary of the New Venture Competition, which began in 1997 as the HBS Business Plan Contest. (photo by Susan Young)

After surviving among a pool of 171 alumni teams from 14 different regions, four alumni New Venture Competition finalists made their final pitches to a crowd at Burden in late April. The grand prize winner—decided by a panel of judges that included Glasswing Ventures founder and managing partner Rudina Seseri (MBA 2005) and Grab cofounder and CEO Anthony Tan (MBA 2011)—was Apli. Founded by Vera Makarov (MBA 2010), Apli is Latin America’s first on-demand jobs platform.

Prizes were also awarded to student teams in the business and social enterprise tracks at the event, with winners in all three categories each receiving $75,000, runners-up, $25,000; and crowd favorites, $5,000.

FINAL FOUR

Apli: Latin America’s first on-demand jobs platform, delivering qualified workers in 24 hours.
Alumna: Vera Makarov, MBA 2010
Region: Latin America

FreeFlow Medical Devices LLC: Maker of medical devices that solve clotting, infection, and clogging issues.
Alumnus: Andrew Jones, MBA 1997
Region: Mid-Atlantic US

Pawame: Startup making solar energy affordable in Africa through microfinance and mobile payments.
Alumnus: Alexandre Skander Allegue, PLDA 18, 2015
Region: Africa