LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Brown-Forman Cardinal Challenge, the University of Louisville’s annual business plan competition, will be Feb. 17-18 at the Marriott Louisville Downtown, 280 W. Jefferson.
The event, first held in 2008, features teams of students from 12 of the world’s leading university entrepreneurship programs, including UofL, competing for a prize package worth thousands of dollars in cash and in-kind services. It is one of eight regional or national competitions that UofL teams participate in each year.
The keynote speaker Feb. 18 is Maggie Galloway, CEO of Inscope Medical Solutions, the highly successful UofL team that won the Cardinal Challenge two years ago with disposable, low-cost intubation devices that can be used in ambulances, helicopters, hospitals and surgery centers. Since then, the Inscope team members have graduated and the company has continued to stake a claim for itself in the healthcare field, winning several competitions.
“The success of Inscope Medical Solutions shows just how critical winning the Brown-Forman Cardinal Challenge can be to launching a new business concept,” said Van Clouse, director of the Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business and associate professor of entrepreneurship. “The teams have a chance to win cash for startup capital along with a lucrative ‘Launch in Louisville’ package of in-kind services, such as help with marketing. We’ll be watching for the next big success story.”
The Cardinal Challenge will be moderated by Clouse and Suzanne Bergmeister, newly named assistant director of the Forcht Center and longtime entrepreneur in residence in the college.
All events are free but only the business plan presentation rounds are open to the public. Click here for a detailed agenda.
For more information, contact Clouse at van.clouse@louisville.edu or 502-852-4782.
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