Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
GMENTS
SHIPS
SITIONS
ELATION
TOMER R
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CUSTOM
CUS
ROPO
VALUE P
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THE FIRS ST
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AND LAR
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BUSIN
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2015
STATISTICS
3,832 TEAMS
276 SCHOOLS
15 COUNTRIES
2,418 TEAMS
$644,500 AWARDED
209 SCHOOLS
19 COUNTRIES
$755,600 AWARDED
1,383 TEAMS
143 SCHOOLS
10 COUNTRIES
$357,000 AWARDED
59 TEAMS
45 TEAMS
7 SCHOOLS
6 SCHOOLS
1 COUNTRY
2 COUNTRIES
ENGLAND, USA
USA
2011
2012
BANGLADESH,
CAMBODIA,
CANADA, CHILE,
CHINA, ENGLAND,
CAMBODIA,
FINLAND, FRANCE,
CANADA, CHILE,
BANGLADESH,
INDONESIA, JAPAN,
CHINA, COLUMBIA,
CAMBODIA, CANADA,
JAMAICA, LAOS,
ENGLAND, INDIA,
CHILE, ENGLAND,
MEXICO, MYANMAR,
JAMAICA, JAPAN,
LAOS, MYANMAR,
SWITZERLAND,
LAOS, MEXICO,
THAILAND, USA,
TANZANIA, THAILAND, MYANMAR, THAILAND,
VIETNAM
USA, VIETNAM
USA, VIETNAM
2013
2014
2015
Jeff Brown
Managing Director
jeff.brown@byu.edu
801.367.3936
Pavel Yurevich
Student Director
pavel.yurevich1@gmail.com
801.505.0724
Brock Neilson
Assistant Student Director
bmneilson@gmail.com
952.500.2172
FOUNDERS MESSAGE
Nathan
Furr
Co-founder, International Business Model Competition
CONTENTS
Contents
SCHEDULE p.4
MAPS p.6
SPEAKERS p.9
PRIZES p.11
COMPETING TEAMS p.12
JUDGING p.27
SUCCESS STORIES p.30
HELPFUL HINTS p.32
2015 IBMC | 3
SCHEDULE
A shuttle service will transport teams from the Marriott Hotel to byu Marriott School of
Management, the location for the first day.
information. Teams will also be able to enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast and time
networking with other attendees from around the world.
two different mentors will visit each team to provide valuable feedback on the teams presentation. It
is our hope that teams will use the time between and after mentors to digest the feedback and incorporate any applicable changes.
1:15-2:15 PM Lunch (on your own) & Quarterfinal Round Judge Orientation
Room W352 Teams will eat lunch on their own (there are a number of restaurants on campus and within short
walking distance of the business school) while the quarterfinal round judges receive orientation.
A shuttle service will transport teams from byu campus back to the Marriott Hotel.
SCHEDULE
2015 IBMC | 5
MAPSPROVO CITY
Marriott Hotel
1st floor
2nd floor
3rd floor
4th floor
2015 IBMC | 7
1st Floor
2nd Floor
3rd Floor
SPEAKERS
Guest Speakers
Josh James (Keynote)
Josh founded Domo in 2010 to help ceos and other leaders change the way they do business and
obtain value from the tens of billions of dollars spent on traditional business intelligence systems.
Before founding Domo, Josh was the ceo of Omniture, which he co-founded in 1996 and took public
in 2006; and from 2006-2009, he was the youngest ceo of a publicly traded company.
Omniture was the number one returning venture investment out of 1,008 venture capital investments in 2004, as well as the number two performing technology ipo of 2006. Omniture was also the
fastest or second fastest-growing public company for three consecutive years. In 2009, Josh facilitated
Omnitures $1.8 billion sale to Adobe.
Josh serves on the board of Rakuten, a publicly traded, five billion dollar revenue company that
is the leading e-commerce company in Japan. Josh also serves as a member of the World Economic
Forums Young Global Leaders, a worldwide community of individuals committed to, and recognized
for, their proven leadership and potential in shaping the future.
In 2012, the Utah Tech Council inducted him into its Hall of Fame and Mountain West Capital Network named Josh its Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2011, Fortune Magazine recognized him as one of its 40 Under 40: Ones to Watch and, in 2009, as one of its 40
Under 40 top business executives. He was named the 2006 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Brigham Young Universitys
Technology Entrepreneur of the Decade.
Josh is the founder of CEO.com, a resource to help founders and ceos stay up to date with whats happening at the executive level
across top industries, as well as stay armed with the latest leadership strategies and best practices. He also founded Silicon Slopes, a
non-profit initiative designed to promote the interests of Utahs high-tech industry.
Scott Petersen
Scott Petersen is the managing director for the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology
at Brigham Young University, where he has served since 2010. Under his leadership, the
entrepreneurship program at byu has been ranked in the top 10 nationally for each of the past five
years. Scott is a long-time entrepreneur having co-founded or partnered in building 7 companies
(harvesting 4). He is also currently co-founder, chairman, and ceo, of Omadi Mobile Managment,
a SaaS software company serving the field services vehicle industries. Additionally, he serves on
several business and private foundation boards. Scott is an active angel investor, with expertise
in entrepreneurship and the start-up process, sales, sales management, marketing, executive
management, and small business consulting.
John Richards
John Richards is an entrepreneur, venture investor, executive manager, and educator. His activities have
included founding, running, selling, and investing in several enterprises. He mentors entrepreneurs
frequently. John served as head of operations for Google FiberProvo, Utah, working on one of the
worlds great intrapreneurial ventures. Previously, he spent over a decade teaching entrepreneurship
at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he also helped bring the Rollins Center for
Entrepreneurship & Technology to global prominence. He was managing partner of UtahAngels, a
venture investing group. He co-founded BoomStartup, a tech accelerator in Utah, and also founded the
Utah Student 25. Previously, he was president of a publishing company in Seattle, Washington and later
started a company that led to an initial public offering and a multi-billion dollar valuation (InfoSpace).
John is a frequent speaker at conferences and other events, and currently serves as Presidential
Executive in Residence for Entrepreneurship at Utah Valley University.
2015 IBMC | 9
SPEAKERS
Paul Ahlstrom
Paul is a serial entrepreneur. He has founded several high-tech startups and understands the process
of success. He is managing director and co-founder of Alta Ventures Mexico, a venture capital fund
focused in Mexico. He is a regular keynote speaker and an avid supporter of Utahs entrepreneurial community, and a member of the Utah Angels. In 2000, he co-founded vSpring Capital, Utahs
leading venture capital fund. In 2007, he co-founded Alta Growth Capital, based in Mexico City and
Kickstart Seed Fund based in Salt Lake City.
Matt Stapleton
In his capacity as President of Capshare, Matt is in charge of sales and customer suppor. As their
resident ASC 718 expert, hes helped build Capshares stock expense reporting tool into the highquality, audit-proof product it is today. Matt scored a 760 on the gmat (99th percentile), so hes
a pretty good guy to have around. Before joining Capshare, he worked at Scalar Analytics as an
Associate, where he played a critical role in building a large client base and growing the companys
409a valuation practice. Before that, Matt was the Equity Division Manager at Funding Universe, a
financial technology company that helps match qualified small business owners with active banks,
lenders and investors. Matt graduated from Brigham Young University where he obtained a degree
in Business Management with emphasis on Entrepreneurship.
10
PRIZES
Prizes
International Competition
1st $30,000
2nd $20,000
3rd $10,000
4th $6,000
5th $5,000
6th $3,000
7th-42nd $2,000
Intl Award $2,000
Pivot Pitch Competition
1st-3rd $1,000
ibmc Champions
Every year, the winner of the International Business Model Competition takes home the IBMC traveling
trophy. This year, the trophy comes to the competition via the University of Utah, home of last years
winner Veritas Medical. The 2015 competition is a new year and a new champion will be crowned. Bring
your best to the ibmc and you may take home more than just prize money.
2012 XoomPark
Ken Frei
University of Utah
2011 Gamegnat
American University
2015 IBMC | 11
COMPETING TEAMS
Competing Teams
6S Medical LLC
Afri-Sea
Awake Labs
BaBa
BackTech
Bengala Media
bSteps
CollegeXChange
Course Key
D&P Bioinnovations
Disease Diagnostic Group
FotoFox
Haedrian Labs
Heads Up
Helpo
IllumiBowl
Intelligent Site Innovations
JarGro Enterprise
Kaitek Labs
Kegg Apps
KeyN Vision
12
Khapto
Khmer Social Tour
LINQ
Local Line
Penny Pledge
R.F. Madison
Realtime Adventure Data
Resumazing
RIP Funeral Agency
Saans
SafetySit LLC
SimpleCitizen
SmartFilling
SPOD
Sotrek
Talon Simulations
REEcycle
Unify
Vivid Roots
Voovo Inc
Western Wise
COMPETING TEAMS
6S Medical
LLC
University of Utah, USA
6S Medical llc was formed in 2013 with the emphasis to create
innovative solutions that are not only better for the patient,
provider, or payer, but all three. We strive to solve clinical
problems by improving outcomes, increasing safety, and
decreasing healthcare costs. 6S Medical strives to bridge the
barrier between the innovative and the applicable. Our current
product, TroClosure, provides an unprecedented solution to the
billion dollar laparoscopic device market. This solution provides
a cost-effective device that offers abdominal access for a laparoscopic cannula (port) AND sutures
the wound site (facial closure) while addressing pain points for the patient (port-site herniation),
surgeon (risk of needle stick injuries), and hospital (prolonged closure times).
Afri-Sea
Awake Labs
2015 IBMC | 13
COMPETING TEAMS
BaBa
Quinnipiac University, USA
BaBa seeks to make life easier for parents
with infants who are bottle fed by providing a
countertop appliance that automates the entire
process. Our value proposition is to create a
programmable, mobile app-controlled countertop
appliance that can mix, pour, and heat a babys
bottle at the touch of a button.
BackTech
Kyoto University, Japan
BackTechs mission is to cure lower back pain.
People all around the world suffer from lower back
pain, and many do not know appropriate treatments for their pain. We propose a new method
to cure lower back pain via a mobile app. We can
identify appropriate treatments for each individual
with a simple questionnaire and special algorithm developed as part of a research project at Kyoto
Universitys Graduate School of Medicine. Users can consult an expert of a particular lower back
pain within just 2 clicks. The app includes a Pain Log and Pain Community to help carry on the
treatment for a prolonged length of time.
Bengala
Media
Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico
Founded by two students from the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico, Bengala Media is
currently developing Coat, a 3 part system that will bring the shopping experience to the 21st century
through the use of iBeacons. Our app works as a personal shopper for our users, suggesting stores
based on the users age, gender, fashion styles, budget and location; it also allows them to discover
discounts as they walk around a shopping mall. For our clients, the app allows them to create said
promotions as well as to analyze behavioral analytics generated by the users as they walk around their
store. Our vision is to use big data and machine learning techniques to eventually be able to predict
what clothing items users are looking for, as well as to have a system that automatically creates promotions and discounts for specific users based on their consumer patterns and rules created by the
stores.
14
COMPETING TEAMS
bSteps
CollegeXChange
Quinnipiac University, USA
CollegeXChange is a mobile application, similar to craigslist, but
strictly for the college student and the surrounding community. We
provide convenience and transparency for peer-to-peer transactions.
Course Key
2015 IBMC | 15
COMPETING TEAMS
D&P
Bioinnovations
Tulane University, USA
D&P Bioinnovations llc is a regenerative medicine company spun out of Tulane University focused
on repairing damaged organs. We are developing a bioresorbable, implantable medical device to regenerate damaged esophaguses. Our device will prevent the thoracic surgeon from having to perform
a last resort gruesome gastric pull up surgery to reconstruct and treat a severely impaired esophagus.
This surgery involves cutting out the defective esophagus and replacing it with stomach tissue. This
causes a very low quality of life for the patient as they often have to rely on feeding tubes to stay alive
and the 5-year survival rate is less than 20%. Our device spares the stomach tissue and functionally
regenerates the damaged esophagus, thus increasing the quality of life and 5-year survival rate of the
patient by more than 80%.
Disease
Diagnostic Group
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
What if we told you we could save one million lives every year
with refrigerator magnets and a laser pointer? Disease Diagnostic
Group is focused on providing low-cost diagnostic tracking and
screening solutions to the developing world. While our flagship
product is the Rapid Assessment of Malaria (ram), we are expanding our proprietary magneto-optical (magnets and lasers) platform to other diseases. Our product diagnoses or screens a patient
for a disease in less than 15 seconds with a reusable box that uses a
plastic disposable. The test is 1/10th the cost and has 1/100th of the limit of detection of competitors.
Meanwhile, it stores a patient id and quantitative infection level to create a procurement mechanism
and patient database. Overall, this platform has the potential to reach 1 billion people, restore confidence in diagnostic tests, eradicate diseases, and most importantly, save lives.
FotoFox
University of Waterloo, Canada
FotoFox is an online marketplace that connects customers to photographers. Our basic search filters
include location, price, date, ratings, and reviews. We also built a way to select and shortlist the ideal
photographers, even when customers lack photography domain expertise to articulate what they like.
On our platform, customers select whether they like or dislike a selection of photos, allowing us to
determine which style of photography they prefer. Attached to each photo are key metrics, and tracking this metadata lets us decide which photographers are most likely to impress the customers, as
well as which photos should be included in the photographers portfolio to make the best first impression. Our initial focus is weddings, but with our technology, it is easy to scale into other photography
verticals, such as events photography, family photography, and portrait photography.
16
COMPETING TEAMS
Haedrian Labs
Heads Up
Helpo
2015 IBMC | 17
COMPETING TEAMS
IllumiBowl
Brigham Young University, USA
The IllumiBowl is a motion-activated toilet bowl night light that fits on any toilet so that you no
longer have to turn on bright lights and wake yourself up, stumble around in the dark, or have your
children, roommates, or spouses aim in the dark and miss their mark. The IllumiBowl has already
earned $100,000 in pre-sales, is in production, and will be on the shelves worldwide this summer.
Intelligent
Site Innovations
Dalhousie University, Canada
Intelligent Site Innovations is developing automated construction signs to replace flaggers on construction sites. Each sign will consist of our modular computer system connecting a camera to a traffic light mounted to a base, wirelessly connected to a tablet. A single operator can monitor the site via
camera and control numerous signs, reducing the number of employees required to manage traffic.
This lowers overhead costs, while increasing safety, and will gather traffic data via sensors.
JarGro
Enterprise
Northern Caribbean University, Jamaica
JarGro is an innovative company building a unique international
b2c concept based on a superior technology platform for growing
plants indoors. This platform assists with producing herbs, salad
greens, and edible flowers all year round; turning costumers into
producers and creating healthier and safer means for the consumption of natural foods which places you in the center of your
food cycle. We believe self-made and individually tailored produce
will become the new ethos of societies.
18
COMPETING TEAMS
Kaitek Labs
Kegg Apps
KeyN
Vision
Fisk University, USA
KeyN Vision is a software company that specializes in mobile app
development with our first app being finance-based. The mission of
KeyN Vision is to provide a medium between people and real-life
problems through software applications. In other terms, as a company we aim to provide easily accessible knowledge and useful tools that will empower people to overcome everyday problems to achieve stability and accomplish their goals. As our name implies we want
to be the Key N Vision, helping people to unlock their vision through the use of our applications.
2015 IBMC | 19
COMPETING TEAMS
Khapto
Federico Santa Mara Technical University, Chile
We are a group of engineering students developing a glove measurement device for use in the health field, specifically in kinesiology
and physical therapy. The glove uses electronic sensors in tandem
with software to measure a patients performance and provides
resulting data that displays progress and improvement over time. This data creates value for patients
and medical professionals, regardless of which professional is treating a given patient. We see the glove
as a device for everyday use like a stethoscope and sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure, but in this case to measure the physical
problems. With continued use of our glove well create a global database and standards for injury treatments and health improvement.
Khmer
Social Tour
National University of Management, Cambodia
Khmer Social Tour (kst) is a new innovative tour agency which
focuses on travel for the elderly and includes social activities
in tour packages. We target the elderly from medium and high
income families and will not only enable them to travel but to also
perform social-friendly activities, such as planting trees, making
donations, visiting cultural areas, visiting poor communities, etc.
Our customer discovery has found that one of the major issues
facing the elderly is loneliness. Our value preposition is to bring the elderly new experiences, friendship, fun, sociality, and travel to enrich their lives.
LINQ
Brigham Young University, USA
linq is a smart home automation company. The linq Smart
Vent brings room-by-room temperature control to every part of
your home, and can save you up to 30% on your energy bill. Having linq Smart Vents is like having a learning thermostat in every room for a fraction of the cost, with many learning and money
saving features. Each vent brings sensors and temperature control to every room of your home for
unmatched comfort. The Hub controls each vent for unmatched consistency throughout the day
and can be controlled from anywhere in the world from your phone while you are away. The patent
pending system works in the background to make you more comfortable based on your preferences,
schedule, and habits. Its comfort, consistency, and control. So the next time you are uncomfortable at
home, think linq.
20
COMPETING TEAMS
Local Line
Penny Pledge
R.F. Madison
2015 IBMC | 21
COMPETING TEAMS
Realtime
Adventure Data
Boise State University, USA
Realtime Adventure Data is a capable team of outdoor enthusiasts
who have a passion for making the outdoor experience safer for
everyone through technology. We are beginning this initiative by
building a probe capable of detecting avalanche conditions for
winter sports. The use of the probe is accentuated by a free website
where users can share their probe readings, creating a true community of backcountry travelers who are committed to enjoying
the outdoor experience safely.
Resumazing
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA
Resumazing is a web service aimed at helping job seekers land their
dream job. It does this by showing them how to tailor their resume to
a specific job listing of their choosing. The system additionally scores
a users resume against paid listings, giving them the opportunity to
apply if and only if they score high enough. Resumazings ultimate
goal is to solve two sides of the same problem. Qualified job seekers shouldnt have to miss out on great opportunities just because they
cant effectively communicate their skill-set on a single sheet of paper. Likewise, companies shouldnt have to wade through 10,000
under-qualified resumes to find the one applicant who wasnt just applying everywhere. Resumazing passively processes thousands of
resumes and job listings to aggregate information and infer statistics used to inform its decision-making.
RIP
Funeral Agency
National University of Management, Cambodia
rip Funeral Agency provides a one-stop service for families who
are planning and carrying out funeral and memorial services for
loved ones. During a time of emotional stress and pain for families
who have lost a loved one, rip helps to facilitate all of the needed
services which are quite numerous and complex within countries
such as Cambodia, and in general Southeast Asian Societies,
where it is expected that families must conduct numerous ceremonies over a period of 100 days.
22
COMPETING TEAMS
Saans
SafetySit LLC
SimpleCitizen
2015 IBMC | 23
COMPETING TEAMS
SmartFilling
Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico
SmartFilling proposes a machine capable of filling, labeling, and putting the lid on your product in an automated manner. The machine
will automatically detect the capacity of the container to be filled and
will able to work with different types of materials.
SPOD
University of Wisconsin - River Falls, USA
The soap revolution is coming. Introducing the non-toxic, biodegradable SPOD, a multipurpose liquid soap pod that reduces
waste and offers a convenient personal care product alternative for
travelers around the world. A dissolvable film paired with a plantbased customizable liquid soap creates an easy, convenient way to
clean up without all the plastic. As hotels increase their sustainability standards, SPOD offers a solution for reducing their plastics waste by up to 18%. With applications in body wash, shampoo, conditioner and hand soap, the possibilities are endless with SPOD.
Ditch the plastic and feel fantastic, switch to SPOD.
Sotrek
Brigham Young University, USA
Sotrek is an innovative solution that solves the major pains
of recreational rental companies; inefficient operations,
limited visibility, and insurance. Weve validated these
pains with over 40 rental shops and 250 customers. The solution to these pains represents a market
of over $3.4 billion. We provide software that automates the daily operations of a rental shop, data
tracking and reporting tools to power growth, creation of customer-facing marketplace, and insurance integration to simplify processes. Sotrek is able to differentiate itself by focusing specifically on
the outdoor rental space, and by building products for that space. Weve validated the pain and the
solution, weve built a minimum viable product, and we are actively signing beta customers.
24
COMPETING TEAMS
Talon
Simulations
University of Central Florida, USA
Talon Simulations seeks to provide immersive and affordable
simulators to aid in changing and saving lives. Talon offers
personal entertainment and effective training devices to various industries including aviation (fixed-wing and rotary),
automotive, construction, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
This is accomplished by integrating state-of-the-art virtual reality technology with motion control
that is highly precise and a trade secret.
REEcycle
Unify
unify
2015 IBMC | 25
COMPETING TEAMS
Vivid
Roots
Boise State University, USA
Vivid Roots is a for-profit lifestyle apparel brand that is focused
on living life vividly and providing a helping hand to people
in need. Each purchase provides people in need with clean
water for life!
Voovo
Inc
Ryerson University, Canada
Voovo allows customers requiring 3d printed models to quickly
crowdsource job quotes from a community of passionate 3d printer owners. The platform also enables anyone who has a 3d printer
to become a full-service 3d printing studio that can personalize,
print, and ship models around the world.
Western
Wise
University of Iowa, USA
Western Wise is a community of patient, passionate, and dedicated
native speaking tutors committed to improving the written and
oral English communication skills of our students through fun,
interactive, one-to-one English lessons.
26
VOOVO
JUDGING
1.
Did the team use the Business Model Canvas or similar tool to identify and
track hypotheses?
2.
3.
Did the team identify the most crucial assumptions to test first (the ones that
will kill their business)?
4.
Did the team design low cost, rapid, but reliable tests of these hypotheses?
5.
b. Quality of tests - interviews are high quality, surveys & focus groups are much lower quality
(you dont know which questions to ask) unless interviews have been conducted first.
6.
Did the team clearly state what they learned, how it validated an assumption
or not, and if that informed any changes/pivots?
7.
If changes were made, was the pivot the team made supported by evidence
or did they fail to pivot when the evidence clearly stated it?
8.
9.
10.
2015 IBMC | 27
JUDGING
Alex Osterwalder
Dr. Alexander Osterwalder works as an independent author, speaker and advisor with a particular
focus on business model innovation, strategic management and management innovation.
Besides his independent activities he is partner at Arvetica, a consulting boutique focusing on the
private banking and wealth management industry. His role includes business development and the
management of a peer knowledge exchange platform for senior executives in private banking (www.
privatebankinginnovation.com).
Previously Dr. Osterwalder founded and ran BusinessModelDesign.com, a consulting boutique
active in strategy consulting with a focus on business model innovation. Dr. Osterwalder has a Ph.D.
in Management Information Systems (MIS) from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, where he
worked as a teaching and research assistant and published extensively. He also developed and taught
a seminar on Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D).
Nathan Furr
Nathan Furr earned his Ph.D. at Stanford University in the Stanford Technology Ventures Program
and is currently an assistant professor of entrepreneurship at Brigham Young University. Nathans
research focuses on market development and early stage entrepreneurial processes. In particular,
Nathan has been working on ideas around Customer Development, Lean Startup, and the Nail It
then Scale It methodologies which propose processes that entrepreneurs can use to dramatically
transform their business models. In addition, Nathans other research examines issues of change,
innovation, cognition and strategy in entrepreneurial and dynamic environments.
Professionally, Nathan has acted as the founder or advisor to startups in web 2.0, clean
technology, retail, professional service, and financial services industries. In addition, Nathan is
currently on the investment board of the Kickstart Seed Fund, an innovative early-stage fund.
Nathan was also a consultant at Monitor Group, an international strategy consulting firm, working
with senior executives on a range of strategic and market discovery initiatives including strategy
development, organizational change, technology commercialization, communication processes,
strategic planning, competitive analysis, and marketing.
28
JUDGING
Paul Ahlstrom
Paul is a serial entrepreneur. He has founded several high-tech startups and understands the process
of success. He is managing director and co-founder of Alta Ventures Mexico, a venture capital fund
focused in Mexico. He is a regular keynote speaker and an avid supporter of Utahs entrepreneurial community, and a member of the Utah Angels. In 2000, he co-founded vSpring Capital, Utahs
leading venture capital fund. In 2007, he co-founded Alta Growth Capital, based in Mexico City and
Kickstart Seed Fund based in Salt Lake City.
Gavin Christensen
Since founding Kickstart Seed Fund in 2008, Gavin has been responsible for all aspects of managing
the firm in addition to leading due diligence and investment decisions in conjunction with Kickstarts Investment Committee. Prior to Kickstart, Gavin was an analyst, associate and principal at
vSpring (now Signal Peak). Before vSpring Capital, Gavin also worked as a Vertical Strategy Associate for Google and as a consultant in Monitor Groups Cambridge office where he advised clients on
a range of strategic, operational, and organizational improvements. Gavin began his career at Fidelity
Investments as an investments representative.
2015 IBMC | 29
SUCCESS STORIES
30
SUCCESS STORIES
VolleyMetrics (Finalist)
After a fourth-place finish with the Italian mens team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, assistant coach
Guiseppe Vinci was inspired by Michael Lewiss book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair
Game. He asked, Why cant we do this in volleyball? Thats how VolleyMetrics began.
Vincis company, VolleyMetrics, provides near-instant recordings of matches, video analysis, and game planning all built into a robust platform enabling coaches to spend more time with their athletes and less time worrying about the technical details of capturing game footage.
Over the past year VolleyMetrics has seen unprecedented growth. From 11 customers in 2014, the company is now on track to sign
over 100 customers at the collegiate level by the end of June, and continues to validate expansion into other markets.
The ibmc impacted us tremendously, said Vinci. The business model canvas has consistently pushed us to learn more about
ourselves and create a sustainable model. The ibmc prepared us by pushing us to understand ourselves and create goals and strategy
that matched our vision and what was needed. On top of that, the mentoring we had, the people we met, and the critiques we received
helped us move forward faster and with more preparation.
Their biggest takeaway? The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else.
2015 IBMC | 31
HELPFUL HINTS
If you watch any past winner present, you will see that they start by connecting to the audience
through a compelling, but truthful story about their business. In your story, describe the pain you
uncovered and how you plan to solve it.
Start with a blank canvas and step-by-step show your assumptions, how you tested them, and the
results. Demonstrate visually which assumptions were validated and which were not. Dont throw all of
your information on the canvas at once, walk the judges through your validation in digestible portions.
Each assumption you make has to be accompanied with a test or an activity that aims to prove or
disprove your hypotheses. Zoom in close on all of your tests and explain the hard work you did.
We want you to justify your decision-making and the course of your business with real data from
credible sources.
Each test has to lead to the lessons learned and future plan of action. Show what each test taught you,
what was validated, what wasnt, and what assumptions and tests you made next.
Most of you had to pivot or change a portion of your business in response to customer feedback. We
want you to justify your pivots with concrete data. Just saying that you made a pivot is not enough. Realizing that your assumption is inaccurate is not a weakness, but evidence that you learned something.
In conclusion, judges want to see multiple rounds of assumptions and tests. One or two
tests is not enough to show that you thoroughly researched your business idea. It is not
possible to walk through the entire canvas in 10 minutes, so focus on a few hypotheses
and tests that are crucial to your business.
32
IBMC
AROUND THE WORLD
usa
2015
2016
GLOBAL
QUALIFIER
COMPETITIONS
byu bmc
Big Idea Tournament
Connecticut bmc
Greenlight bmc
Harvard New Venture Challenge
Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge
sdsu LeanModel Competition
Stanford E-Challenge
Tulane bmc
ucf bmc
University of Iowa bmc
International
Canada bmc
Empresario, India
Epichero, Greece
Espirex, Indonesia
Finland bmc
France bmc
Jamaica National bmc
Japan bmc
JumpChile
Mekong Challenge, S.E. Asia
Mexico bmc
Peru bmc
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