2022 Burton D. Morgan Business Model Competition

Veronica Galles

Veronica Galles pitched her idea, UPLeft, for the 2022 Burton D. Morgan Business Model Competition. UPLeft is a service that picks up leftover food from restaurants at closing and delivers it to nonprofit organizations for distribution. “I placed third overall in the competition and earned an additional Social Impact Award for the idea. I am enrolled in the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation program having taken ENTR 20000, ENTR 31000, and ENGL 42000 in the past, and will take MGMT 48400 and MGMT 42300 next year!”

Veronica was in Exploratory Studies as a freshman. “I was interested in entrepreneurship and took ENTR 20000 during fall of my sophomore year,” she explains. “That is when I fell in love with the idea of starting a business of my own! I was able to work with a team and draft a business plan for UPLeft in ENGL 42000 last semester. I used that as a foundation for my submission to the Business Model Competition this spring. Since then, I have come up with numerous business ideas, but I am focusing on them one at a time in hopes of making them a reality.”

Cameron Gorski

Sole Solutions won 2nd place in the Burton D. Morgan Business Model Competition. The venture is an eco-friendly company that provides anti-slip spike covers for track athletes. Cameron Gorksi, Danion Wray, and Daniel Madren worked as a team in Technology 34000 to create a prototype for the product. Cameron credits the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program for his ability to create a business model and financial plan for the team’s successful pitch. His entrepreneurship instructors prepared him to do thorough market research as well.

Cameron is a Junior in Marketing in the Krannert School of Management. He began taking ENTR 20000 during the first semester of his sophomore year. Cameron always loved the idea of starting his own business. The ENTR courses fit very well in his schedule and he was intrigued by the fact that they were taught by entrepreneurs. Once he began taking the courses, he loved the fact that the instructors were able to tell him the nitty-gritty and real-life experiences of owning a business. They were honest about their failures and how hard business ownership can be. Cameron will complete most of the requirements for the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation this spring but is eager to take more courses in the program before he graduates.