SBCC’s Scheinfeld Center Announces Student Finalists for its 4th Annual New Venture Challenge

Santa Barbara City College’s Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation announces student finalists for its 4th Annual New Venture Challenge to take place on Friday, May 2, from 2:30- 6:30 p.m. at the Fé Bland Forum on SBCC’s West Campus. This event is open to the public and free of charge. However, seating is limited and first come, first served.

The Scheinfeld Center New Venture Challenge is a two-tiered pitch competition honoring the business concepts of local college and high school students. $15,000 in cash awards for the collegiate winners is generously supported by the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation, Montecito Bank & Trust and lynda.com. The Bank of Santa Barbara has sponsored a $25,000 rolling scholarship fund for the high school winners.

Last year’s winning concept, Fertile Grounds, hit the Whole Foods shelf this week, after only one year in development. In an unprecedented collaborative effort by students from both SBCCC (Cindy Gutierrez) and Allan Hancock College (Paulo Tomas), the concept began by collecting used coffee grinds around campus, drying them and repackaging them as a soil amendment.  They discovered that liquefying the grounds was easier and bottled the amendment in what is now a coffee-based soil amendment – great for flowers and vegetables in your garden. Director of the Scheinfeld Center Melissa Moreno says, “Watching them start this company was nothing short of amazing and now, just one year later, it is on the shelf at Whole Foods! Nothing is more gratifying to me than to see our students succeed.”

The collegiate finalists will present on May 2 between 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. and include SBCC students Mathieu Montecot for Jean LoisTM, Doni Nahmias, Kian Maalizaden, Shawn Michael, Paige

Grandstaff and Sara Skaugrud for Re-Leash TM, Tom Garnett for MonocoolTM, Jesse Sheppard, Curtis Crispin and Devyn Garly-Carr for Phoenix SunglassesTM, Kathy McColm for BabyHatzTM, and Antioch University students Corinna Bernasko for YoBeTM, Joan Mayer for TransPaw GearTM, Natasha Bruskin for Dashing Dog DinerTM, Adele De Batz for Goddess MotoTM, and Mats Myhre for ParkingTicTM.

The high school finalists are scheduled to present on May 2 between 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. and include Santa Barbara High School students Sergio Garcia, Hector Avila and Rebecca Ruiz for SBiciTM, Taylor Barry for Think Bright GraphicsTM, Pablo Valladares for ReBinTM, from Dos Pueblos High School Brindi Martinez for Brindle Bee SkincareTM, and from Santa Ynez High School, Izack Romero for iGotIt RepairsTM.

Student winners will be chosen by an esteemed panels of judges including Lynda Weinman of lynda.com, Kathy Odell of NutraHealth Partners, Christopher Morales with Montecito Bank & Trust, Michael Holliday with Synergy Business & Technology Center, Gary Kravetz with SCORE, and John Richardson, a chief technologist. Winners are announced following each tier, and they will receive their awards at the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards banquet the following week, on May 9 at Fess Parker’s

DoubleTree Resort. The awards banquet serves as a fundraiser for next year’s awards, and the attendance of the student winners and their guests are generously sponsored by the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation.

The Scheinfeld Center New Venture Challenge is co-sponsored in part by the Santa Barbara County Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a public service offering no-cost one-on-one counseling and coaching to small business owners, and the Santa Barbara County Workforce Investment Board.

For more information please visit the Scheinfeld Center website at http://scheinfeld.sbcc.edu.