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Cat Johnson – Coworking Marketing Maven
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Andrea Pirrotti-Dranchak – Competitive Advantage
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Jeremy Fennema – Tech Innovation Alchemist
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 8, 2014 – AdvantEdge Business Centers served as a corporate sponsor for the 2014 George Washington University Business Plan Competition, awarding more than $2,500 in prizes to a team of student finalists.
Sponsoring the competition helped support GWU’s ongoing initiatives to give students, faculty, and alumni entrepreneurship opportunities through experiential learning.
The prize was awarded the startup Sensamir, who also won the competition’s overall first prize. Founded by fourth-year GWU medical student Rehan Quadri and Owais Khalid, the company is aimed at helping cancer patients increase taste recognition as they go through cancer related therapies, as often these treatments will taint or inhibit the ability of individuals to taste food properly.
Sensamir has developed a zero-calorie dietary supplement that aims to restore an enjoyable taste experience for patients undergoing chemo and radiation therapy.
“Winning the competition has been surreal, we are excited to move towards clinical trials for our product later this year. Since moving into co-working space at AdvantEdge we have enjoyed being able to work in an environment that helps us connect with our partners worldwide. We don’t have to worry about calls dropping or holding a meetings in an unprofessional space,” said Rehan Quadri, CEO and Director of Operations for Sensamir.
The prize provides six months of fully-serviced co-working space at AdvantEdge’s 2101 L Street location, and is an extension of the informal partnership between AdvantEdge and the GWU Business School’s Office of Entrepreneurship.
AdvantEdge CEO and founder Prakash Gavri was eager to help support GWU, saying “We share an enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, and through this prize we can help local students and startups achieve their goals.” About the Sensamir team he added, “Sensamir has an excellent concept that has the potential to improve the lives of many people, and AdvantEdge is thrilled to help them as they build their business into a success.”
AdvantEdge proudly works with the GW Business School and Office of Entrepreneurship, whose aim is to support GW students, faculty, and staff, and encourage spirit of entrepreneurship throughout GW’s campus. This year, the GW Business Plan Competition showcased a record 113 teams from all 10 schools on campus. With over $130,000 in cash and in-kind prizes, the competition provides students from all schools within GW to compete for opportunities to make their businesses a reality.
Image (from left to right): Owais Khalid co-founder of Sensamir, Jonathan Desjardins Director of Marketing for AdvantEdge, Rehan Quadri co-founder of Sensamir, and James Chung Director of the George Washington University Office of Entrepreneurship.
About the GW Business Plan Competition
The GW $101,000 Business Plan Competition was launched in 2009 thanks to a generous grand from Richard and Annette Scott. The competition was created to give students, faculty, and alumni a real world experiential learning opportunity in entrepreneurship. Having started at the School of Business, all schools and colleges comprising GW now have students participating in the annual competition. The competition aims to foster an entrepreneurial climate at GW and allow business plan competition winners to actually launch and operate their ventures while maintaining complete control of their business through the issuance of non-equity based grants as prize money.
About Sensamir
Sensamir is a safe, edible lozenge designed to enhance taste recognition in cancer patients who suffer from chemotherapy and radiation therapy induced taste alterations.
About AdvantEdge Business Centers
Since 1988, AdvantEdge Business Centers has been a leader in the Washington, D.C. executive office suites industry, providing distinctive, flexible, and customized office spaces and a variety of other workspace solutions. With over 80 years of combined managerial experience, AdvantEdge provides unparalleled support, individualized solutions, and on-site assistance to help clients expand their businesses and organizations and realize their goals.
