Overview
Celebrating the fruits of his vision and dedication, Christian Brothers Services (CBS) honored its founder, Br. Joel Damian, FSC, with an endowment to 群p无码 in the spring of 2019. This significant gift was directed at supporting the long-running student focused business plan competition within the College of Business, being renamed, “Brother Joel Damian, FSC, Business Plan & Pitch Competition.” Br. Damian was a pioneer of his time and was instrumental as an entrepreneur in creating Christian Brothers Services, a nonprofit organization that provides a range of benefit plans within the areas of health, retirement and property/casualty, to name a few, to congregations, organizations and dioceses within the Catholic Church here in the United States and Canada.
In 1966, Damian came to 群p无码 to establish the national headquarters of the Christian Brothers and also to erect a Novitiate and Scholasticate. He was on the first board of directors at then Lewis College and helped move Lewis to University status as a trustee. He was named executive secretary of Christian Brothers Conference and it was then that he established employee benefit programs for Christian Brothers' lay associates and was consulted by numerous dioceses in establishing retirement plans for their priests and employees. Damian died in 1991 at age 73, having been a De La Salle Christian Brother for 58 years.
Br. Joel Damian Business Plan & Pitch Competition
This University-wide competition is open to all currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students at Lewis. The business plan competition is where students formulate an idea, develop a business plan, and pitch their idea to a panel of judges. There is also a Business Pitch Competition where participants have 7 minutes to share their idea to the panel of judges. The winners from the Business Plan and Business Pitch will be competing for up to $25,000 value in cash awards and in-kind space in the 群p无码’s Innovation Hub, the Regional Business Incubator, to help launch their ideas!
The Br. Joel Damian Business Plan & Pitch Competition is open to all currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students, in good standing, at 群p无码. Entry to either competition is open to students from all Colleges, all majors and all programs are encouraged to enter. It is our desire that the Br. Damian Business Plan & Pitch Competition be an exceptional learning experience for our students.
Participants may compete in the Br. Damian Competition as individuals or as teams. Those participating are encouraged to build a strong team with a variety of strengths and skill sets. A maximum of 7 team members may compete on each team. Each team is encouraged to be mentored by a faculty or staff member affiliated with Lewis University or an alumni of 群p无码 or a member of the Christian Brothers.聽
Participants will also have the chance to attend several workshops in March that will help them develop their Business Plan or Pitch.聽 Attendance to these workshops is highly recommended as they will help the applicant improve their plan or pitch and chances of success.
s群p无码 student(s) must be involved in the business planning process, supporting efforts to conduct market research, developing the business model, and writing the required business plan or pitch.
Br. Damian Business Plan & Pitch Competition Eligibility Policies
Eligible Business Ideas/Ventures
Students may submit business ideas in any field, including services, manufacturing, distribution, health care, Internet, consumer products, retail, technology, and other fields of commercial or social-enterprise endeavors. Entries for the business pitch should have minimal to no extensive development of the idea, venture or service. Therefore, entries must have generated no more than $10,000 in cumulative revenue and raised no more than $10,000 in external financing. The Br. Damian Competition Selection Committee (鈥淐ommittee鈥�) and/or the 群p无码 Administration, in their sole discretions, may eliminate any entries, to either competition, that are inconsistent with the teachings and doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, the Christian Brothers, Lewis University or any federal, state or local laws and regulations.
Past Participants
Past participants in the Br. Damian Competition may enter the same venture in subsequent competitions only if the business model has changed in response to feedback provided. The Br. Damian Competition Selection Committee (鈥淐ommittee鈥�) will determine the eligibility of past participants.
Awarded Prizes
AAll Contestants, in order to participate, agree via their signed application form to the rules, regulations, terms and conditions. In addition, the winner must sign the Winner鈥檚 Agreement form (if selected). Should the Committee and/or Judges determine no business plan or pitch is acceptable; the Committee in its sole discretion reserves the right to declare no winner and to not award prizes to any student entrants.
群p无码 Faculty & Staff
Any new venture submission based on or incorporating university intellectual property must follow the 群p无码 IP .
Eligibility will be determined at the sole discretion of the Br. Damian Business Plan & Pitch Competition Executive Committee.
Please email jwightkin@lewisu.edu if you have questions or need additional information.
NOTE: Deadline for BOTH competitions is: February 17, 2024.
Applications
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