UA teams sweep competition

The second annual Alabama Launchpad Business Plan Competition distributed awards to business team finalists on Monday at the Bryant Conference Center.

Alabama Launchpad is a non-profit organization compiled of six of the state's research universities.

The founders of the organization include the University, Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Auburn University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Alabama at Huntsville and the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama Foundation.

"EDPA came up with the idea to bring all Alabama universities together for Alabama Launchpad," said Director Glenn Kinstler.

Kinstler said Alabama Launchpad is for people who have business ideas and a connection to one particular university.

The organization's key program is the statewide business plan competition in which teams connected to Alabama research schools work to produce ideas for business firms.

"Most of the work is in the general realm of technology," said David Ketchen, Lowder Eminent scholar and professor at Auburn. "Most teams are working with high technology in one way or another."

The teams can be students, faculty members or recent alumni.

"Alabama Launchpad tries to create a culture in the state encouraging small business development," Ketchen said.

Louis Marino is the executive director of the Alabama Entrepreneurship team and was on the founding team for Alabama Launchpad.

"The goal is to further economic development in Alabama," Marino said.

Competition judge David Karabinos said the contestants were judged on market opportunity, financials, management team and presentation.

The companies are researching and competing for seed capital - startup money, Kinstler said.

The top three finalists received cash prizes starting with $100,000 for the first prize.

Lambert Technologies, LLC, developed a patent coating used for testing material stress levels was the winning team.

Chris Cater, a UA engineering student and team captain, said they have been working on the business plan for Lambert Technologies since the fall.

Team member Samantha Mroczynski, a senior majoring in chemistry, said, "The business triage teams involved are composed of undergraduate students, graduate students, professors and staff scientists that take anything the university discovers and make business plans for them."

The Lambert Technologies, based in Michigan, will now do research in Tuscaloosa, Mroczynski said.

Competition judge Tanveer Patel said, "The winning team had a lot of positive points, especially in technology, including simpler testing matters."

The second place prize of $50,000 was given to team Cellulosix for developing a catalog of cellulose-based chemical reagents for use in drug delivery.

The third place prize for $25,000 was given to team SEA Desalination for a sun-powered technology that removes salt from seawater or high mineral concentrations from ground water.

"This makes a clean sweep for UA for the second year," Kinstler said.