Five ideas were proposed to a panel of judges for a prize of $500 to enhance the business idea that won in KU’s business idea contest.
The groups submitted their ideas in the form of a business proposal a few weeks before six ideas were selected. Although six were selected, the creator of Kings Among Men did not come to the competition.
“A lot of idea plans were good but had holes in them,” Dr. Roger Hibbs, the Chair of the Business Department at KU, said to the audience before the presentations began.
Each group had to present their idea, the inspiration behind the idea and how much money they planned to make.
The groups had 10 minutes to present a power point and explain their ideas to the judges, who were judging based on the idea, the presentation and the business plans that were in front of the judges.
The winners to the contest were Stephanie and Maria Borland, who created a clothing line specifically designed for twins.
“Our parents used to have a very hard time finding matching outfits for us,” Maria Borland told the judges.
The idea is that the each outfit would have a color coordinated opposite that was the same size as the first.
The first runner up and winner of $300 was Nick Rambo who came up with a way to help the elderly who lived in retirement homes.
For $17 an hour, Friends United would provide the elderly with a companion that they could talk to or enjoy the company of.
Rambo came up with the idea with his cousin while working in a retirement home and noticing how happy the residents were when the young staffers would talk to them.
The KU idea proposal competition was a prelude to the state-wide contest that takes place in March, 2013.

By Dan Clark