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NEWS RELEASE

12-06-02

Contacts:
Judi Eyles, ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, (515) 296-6532
Kevin Brown, News Service, (515) 294-8986

IOWA STUDENT ENTREPRENEURS TO COMPETE FOR BUSINESS PLAN CASH AWARDS IN DEC. 13 EVENT

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa college students will pitch innovative business plans to a team of professional investors on Friday, Dec. 13, at the Marriott Hotel, 700 Grand Ave., in downtown Des Moines. Iowa State University has three teams in competition.

The student presentations will be confidential. The winning teams will be recognized at a 1 p.m. ceremony. The finalists compete for three, $5,000 cash awards.

The eight teams from Iowa State, the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and Northwest Community College, Orange City, were regional winners in the annual Pappajohn New Venture Business Plan Competition held in September as part of the Iowa Venture Capital Conference.

John Pappajohn, president of Equity Dynamics Inc., Des Moines, and founder of the five John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers in Iowa, created the Pappajohn New Venture Business Plan Competition three years ago.

Those competing for this year's awards (and the proposed business names) are: Laurie DeVries and Carrie Peterson (The Mustard Seed) from Northwest Community College; Joe Hynek (CactusJo), Vipin Rhaghavan and Alpa Chheda (MDNetwork.com), and Lynn Lundy Evans and Noraima Fernandez (Niteshift Childcare Services) from Iowa State University; Glynis Worthington (ToothFairyCentral.com) from the University of Northern Iowa; Will Lack and Steve Smetana (Peace of Mind), T.J. Tollaksen & Gabe Palmer (Peak Sports), and Sean Hosseini, Bob Sullivan, and Mike Keller (Cellular Entertainment) from the University of Iowa.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Media are invited to the awards ceremony and will have the opportunity to interview student winners following the brief ceremony.