USD Students Jump in the Shark Tank

Young Entrepreneurs Make Their Pitches for $25,000

University of San Diego students will compete for a total of $25,000 at this year’s V2 Entrepreneurship Competition on Thursday, April 18. The event takes place from 5 to 9:30 p.m. in USD’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice Theatre.

After teams submitted 33 proposals, four finalists have been selected for the final round including those for On My Block (online real estate rental transactions), EcoClinics (a medical device company), Supplement Box (an international sports dietary supply chain business) and A2Med (a medical device information company).

They will pitch their proposals to a prestigious group of ”angel investors” including Navid Alipour, principal at La Costa Investment Group; Jason Friend, founder of Peoples Bank; Andy Laats, co-founder and president of Nixon Watches and Anita Mahaffey, founder of Cool-jams.

“Our USD V2 team is gratified at the growth of our student entrepreneurship competition,” said Professor Mike Lawless. “Both the prize money and entrants are almost double last year’s. Experts tell us that innovation and growth in our US economy will depend heavily on new businesses developed by independent entrepreneurs like our V2 entrants.”

Proposals not selected as one of the four finalists will also be able to compete through online voting for a “Crowd Prize” award.

Las Vegas entrepreneur, former owner of the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, and 1991 USD graduate Tom Breitling, chairman of a new venture, Ultimate Gaming, will speak at the event on lessons learned from starting his businesses.

For more information go to www.usdentrepreneurship.com.

About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is among the Top 20 Best Private Schools for Making an Impact according to The Princeton Review. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.