2018

THE FIRST AND LARGEST INTERNATIONAL LEAN STARTUP COMPETITION

2018 IBMC 1
2 Competition Booklet
IBMC Administrators
If you have any questions regarding the competition,
please contact one of the IBMC administrators.

Jeff Brown
DIRECTOR
jeff.brown@byu.edu
801.367.3936

Brennan Steiner
STUDENT DIRECTOR
businessmodelcompetition@gmail.com
435.232.9797

#IBMC2018
@businessmodelcompetition

@intlbmc

@internationalbmc

@intbmc

2018 IBMC 3
 Contents

5 Prizes
6 Schedule
8 Maps
10 Speakers & Presenters
13 Competing Teams
26 Judging
28 How to Win

4 Competition Booklet
 PRIZES

Prizes
1st $30,000 4th $8,000 11th-20th $3,000
2nd $20,000 5th $6,000 Remaining Teams $2,500
3rd $12,000 6th-10th $3,500

IBMC Champions
Every year, the winner of the International Business Model Competition takes home the
IBMC traveling trophy. This year, the trophy comes to the competition via Tulane University,
home of last year’s winner Instapath. The 2018 competition is a new year and a new cham-
pion will be crowned. Bring your best to the IBMC and you may take home more than just
prize money.

2017 Instapath Mei Wang, David Tulman, Pete Lawson,

Tulane University J. Quincy Brown

2016 SwineTech Mathew Rooda, Abraham Espinoza,

University of Iowa David Hensley

2015 Kaitek Labs Emilia Diaz, Cristobal Aller

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

2014 Veritas Medical Nate Rhodes, Martin de la Presa,

University of Utah Mitch Barneck

2013 Owlet Baby Monitors Kurt Workman, Jordan Monroe, Jacob Colvin,
Brigham Young University Tanor Hodges, Zach Bomsta, Adam Rogers

2012 XoomPark Ken Frei

Brigham Young University

2018 IBMC 5
SCHEDULE

Thursday, May 10

9:30-10:00 AM Check-In and Registration

Attendees will check in, receive IBMC info packet and mingle with other attendees.

10:00-10:50 AM Welcome and Orientation

Attendees will receive a welcome and orientation about the conference and competition.

11:00-12:00 PM Workshop with David Bland

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a workshop led by David Bland, co-founder and
CEO of Precoil.

12:00-12:15 PM Break

12:15-1:45 PM Lunch and Speaker

Attendees will eat lunch and hear from Aaron Eden, COO and co-founder of Moves the Needle.

2:00-4:00 PM Lean Workshop with Ash Maurya

Attendees will have the opportunity to take part in a 2-hr workshop led by Ash Maurya, author of the
Wall Street Journal bestselling book Running Lean and creator of the Lean Canvas.

4:00-4:45 PM Pre-Dinner Reception

Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with one another while enjoying drinks and
h’ordeuvres. A networking activity with door prizes will be included.

5:00-6:30 PM Dinner and Speaker

Attendees will eat dinner and hear from Chelsea Carroll, founder of Uptown Cheapskate. The
networking activity door prize winners will be announced.

6 Competition Booklet
 SCHEDULE

Friday, May 11

8:30-9:00 AM Judge Training and Orientationt

Judges will receive training and orientation.

9:10-11:30 AM Quarterfinal Round

Teams will be divided into 4 rooms and present for 10 minutes to a panel of judges with up to 3
minutes of Q&A. Teams are encouraged to watch the presentations of other teams in their room.

11:30-12:00 PM Break and Judge Deliberation

12:00-1:00 PM Lunch and Quarterfinal Results

Attendees will eat lunch and the results of the Quarterfinal Round will be announced.

1:00-3:00 PM Challenge Round/ Semifinal Round Preparation

All teams that didn’t advance to the Semifinal round will be divided into 4 rooms and give an
up to 20-minute pitch with intermittent Q&A from judges. 4 teams will advance to compete in
the Semifinal round. The semifinalist teams will take this time to prepare for the Semifinal round
while the 4 teams from the Challenge Round will present last in the Semifinal Round so they
have time to prepare.

3:00-4:30 PM Semifinal Round

Teams will be divided into 4 rooms and present for 10 minutes to a panel of judges with up to 5
minutes of Q&A. Teams are encouraged to watch the presentations of other teams in their room.

4:30-5:00 PM Break and Judge Deliberation

5:00-6:30 PM Dinner, Keynote Speaker & Semifinal Results

Attendees will eat dinner, hear from our keynote speaker (Ryan Smith, CEO and co-founder
of Qualtrics) and the results of the Semifinal Round will be announced.

6:45-9:00 PM Final Event & Awards Ceremony

The finalists will compete for the title of “Global Champion” and the winner will take home the
IBMC traveling trophy as well as the top cash prize. Teams will present for 10 minutes to our
all-star judging panel with up to 8 minutes of Q&A.
9:00-9:30 PM Post-Finals Networking
Attendees will have a chance to network with one another after the final event is over.

2018 IBMC 7
MAPS

Utah Valley Convention Center

Third Floor

8 Competition Booklet
 MAPS

Provo Marriott Hotel and Conference Center

First Floor

2018 IBMC 9
SPEAKERS & PRESENTERS

David J Bland is the Founder & CEO of Precoil, an innovation agency in

the San Francisco Bay Area. He advises global corporations and Silicon
Valley startups on how to find product market fit using lean startup, design
thinking and agile. David has pioneered GE FastWorks with Eric Ries, ad-
vised emerging product teams at Adobe and even mentored Toyota on
lean startup practices. Prior to Precoil, David was a Principal Advisor at Neo
and BigVisible, where he created lean startup services. Before his transition
into advising, David spent over 10 years of his career at technology startups.

David Bland
Wo r ks h o p P r e s e n t e r

Aaron Eden is a Co-founder & Chief Operating Officer at Moves the Needle
and Co-founder of Startup Tucson. For more than 25 years, Aaron has uti-
lized his passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and customer empathy to
transform countless businesses by teaching them to adopt Lean Innovation,
create new value for their customers, and generate hundreds of millions
in new revenue. As an Innovation Catalyst at Intuit, Aaron spearheaded a
grassroots program that trained over 2,500 employees and leaders in Lean
Startup, Agile, and Design Thinking practices. He’s continued that work with
some of the world’s most innovative companies, including American Family
Insurance, General Electric, and ING, guiding them to move faster, be bold-
er, and drive impact.

Aaron Eden
Lunch Speaker

Ash Maurya
Wo r ks h o p P r e s e n t e r
Ash Maurya is the author of two bestselling books “Running Lean” and
“Scaling Lean”, and is also the creator of the highly popular one-page busi-
ness modeling tool “Lean Canvas”. Ash is praised for offering some of the
best and most practical advice for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs all over
the world. Driven by the search for better and faster ways for building suc-
cessful products, Ash has developed a systematic methodology for raising
the odds of success built upon Lean Startup, Customer Development, and
Bootstrapping techniques. Ash is also a leading business blogger and his
posts and advice have been featured in Inc. Magazine, Forbes, and For-
tune. He regularly hosts sold out workshops around the world and serves as
a mentor to several accelerators including TechStars, MaRS, Capital Factory,
and guest lecturers at several universities including MIT, Harvard, and UT
Austin. Ash serves on the advisory board of a number of startups, and has
consulted to new and established companies. Ash lives in Austin, TX.

10 Competition Booklet
 SPEAKERS & PRESENTERS

Chelsea Sloan Carroll is the President and co-founder of Uptown Cheap-

skate (R), a resale clothing store franchise with 68 locations across the Unit-
ed States. While still in college, she was recognized as the Entrepreneurs’
Organization’s 2012 Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year, as a Forbes
30 under 30, and one of Inc. Magazine’s 30 under 30. Chelsea has been
an advocate of student entrepreneurship and has twice served as a US del-
egate to the G20 Young Entrepreneur’s Alliance in Instanbul and Moscow.
She’s currently exploring other franchise concepts to develop. Chelsea is
married with two great kids. She loves wakeboarding, skiing, and Utah’s
national parks.

Chelsea Carroll
Dinner Speaker

Ryan Smith co-founded Qualtrics in 2002 with the goal of making sophis-
ticated research simple. As CEO, he has grown the company from a base-
ment startup to one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the
world. Qualtrics has received $400M in investment from Accel Partners,
Sequoia Capital, and Insight Venture Partners. Ryan was named to Fortune’s
2016 40 Under 40, a list of the most powerful, influential, and successful
young people in business, and was listed as one of Forbes’ “America’s Most
Promising CEOs Under 35” in 2013. He is a frequent contributor to Fortune
Magazine and has been featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, The
Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Inc., The New York Times, TechCrunch
and USA Today, and has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg TV and FOX Busi-
ness. Ryan is a graduate of Brigham Young University and is a frequent
guest lecturer at Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business
Ryan Smith and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Keynote Speaker

2018 IBMC 11
12 Competition Booklet
 COMPETING TEAMS
PRIZES

Competing Teams
Alban Portal Entryways
AssistENT Queritel
BayWatch Technologies SheLeads
Beasc Technology Shogjur-Recycling for Happiness
E.I. Robotics Skolastik Oasis
Eco-Plastic Smart Staffing
ECO-Structures Limited Songen
Fluke Operadora SOULmuch
Fresh Stamp, Inc. Speeko
GnomikX STEM Library Lab
InfoMate Tabnex Inc.
Khione The Local Food Experiment
Melijo Tried & True Technology
NanoPearl UKU
O’heal UniRider
PlantBox VerdiLife LLC
PLIMES Vertiball
Pneulyfe Zito International

2018 IBMC 13
COMPETING TEAMS

Alban
Monterrey Institute of Technology

Alban is a company focused on combating the sedentary lifestyle of chil-

dren. We give tools to parents to help them motivate their children to do
more physical activity. We do this through providing different rewards to
children, instilling values that only sports can give them, helping children
start with small goals, and helping directly impact children’s health in a pos-
itive way.

AssistENT
Johns Hopkins University

Restricted nasal breathing is one of the most common complaints to ENTs (Ear,
Nose, and Throat specialists) and is often indicative of nasal obstruction, an
anatomical limitation to airflow caused by a deviated septum or narrow nasal
passage. This condition presents a constant bother and source of embarrass-
ment, leads to snoring and difficulty sleeping, and even places a limit on athlet-
ic endurance. AssistENT is developing N-Stent, the first nasal dilator designed
for daily wear. Much like a contact lens, N-Stent is inserted and removed daily,
works immediately, and is invisible to others during use. Our product has po-
tential to improve the quality of life for over twenty million nasal obstruction suf-
ferers who currently forgo treatment due to the high cost, extensive recovery,
and uncertain outcome of nasal reconstruction surgery. These individuals insist
N-Stent’s comfort, inconspicuousness, and convenience make it the ideal tool
to aid their nasal breathing throughout the day.

BayWatch Technologies
Brigham Young University

BayWatch Technologies is the premier platform for vehicle condition doc-

umentation for the auto industry. Our platform is made up of both custom
hardware as well as proprietary software, allowing our customers to easily
document the exterior condition of each vehicle and prevent fraudulent
damage claims.

14 Competition Booklet
 COMPETING TEAMS

Beasc Technology
Northern Caribbean University

BEASC Technologies is an agro-technology start-up company that seeks

to solve agricultural challenges in developing countries through the use
of technology to create better efficacy and ethical standards in agricultural
practices. Globally farmers have been severely affected by the Beet ar-
myworm. Through customer discovery, we have developed an integrated
technology to assist farmers to better manage the Beet armyworm infesta-
tion in their farms.

E.I. Robotics
Brigham Young University

At Early Intervention Robotics, we create educational software and an educa-

tional platform for children to learn through robots. Specifically, our early adopt-
ers are parents with children on the autism spectrum. Our target customers are
parents of children with intellectual disabilities totaling a 1.2 Billion dollar SAM.
It costs us today $200 to build our robot and we sell it for $400 with a $20
monthly subscription. Our customer lifetime value is close to $3,000. We have
functioning robots that we’re testing with kids. Because of the nature of our
product, it’s open platform, which means any developer can build an app for
our robot and we’re excited to enter homes come this Christmas.

Eco-Plastic
American University of Phnom Penh

Eco-Plastic is a social enterprise aiming to transform landfills into roadfills by

adding plastic waste into the conventional asphalt concrete process. This
process yields roads that are stronger with a longer lifespan, and a cheaper
alternative in terms of price for the end consumer. We have a strong mission
and commitment toward solving the plastic waste problem in our country.

2018 IBMC 15
COMPETING TEAMS

ECO-Structured Limited
University of the West Indies

ECO-Structures Limited was conceived as a response to the solid waste

crisis that has been facing Jamaica. With a vision to repurpose plastic waste
through integrating it into viable and safe construction material, ECO-Struc-
tures would not only aid in alleviating plastic waste but also advance the
country’s infrastructure development goals. This would be achieved through
its launch product dubbed ˜ECO-Aggregate” which is a unique mixture that
consists of, among other things, repurposed plastic waste that has been
transformed into an environmentally friendly and safe building aggregate
for use in concrete outputs. Our goal to support the environment will have
to be achieved whilst simultaneously striving to become a competitive and
successful company.

Fluke Operadora
University of Sao Paulo and Getulio Vargas Foundation

We were born of a common ambition: build great technological contributions to

Brazil. We are the innovators and our goal is to be the future of connectivity to
Brazil and to the world, through creating the best experience for mobile phone
users. Fluke is a mobile virtual network operator project. Our goal is to provide
a new mobile experience for Brazilians focusing on personalization, transpar-
ency and good service through digital solutions.

Fresh Stamp Inc.

Brigham Young University

The Fresh Stamp is an expiration date barcode add-on that allows inventory
systems to track batches on grocery products. With the add-on, stores can
identify what batch each item is from as the item stands out at the point-of-
sale system. When items are about to expire, inventory systems can alert
store personnel so they can discount or donate that batch as it gets closer
to expiration. We help mitigate the $141,000 of expired food that mid-sized
grocery stores throw away each year.

16 Competition Booklet
 COMPETING TEAMS

GnomikX
BITS Pilani

We are GnomikX, a healthcare based startup born in BITS Pilani. We are a

team of young and innovative entrepreneurs trying to bring the power of
personal genomics to the common Indian. We use SNP based open array
technology to detect lifestyle disorders. We selected a set of markers, spe-
cific to the Indian population, to screen diseases like diabetes, obesity and
hypertension. The genetic profiling and genetic counselling duo offered by
us will provide lifestyle guidance towards a healthier life.

InfoMate
John Brown University

infoMate wants to revolutionize the auto telematics industry by offering a low

cost product, specifically an OBD II reader, that pairs with an app, plugs into
the OBD II port in consumer’s dashboards and collects vehicle data, and au-
tomatically sends EMS dispatchers relevant crash data in the event of a car
accident. Unlike competitors, infoMate charges a one-time, upfront fee instead
of subscription fees and/or hidden additional fees. infoMate also sends crash
data directly from crash scenes to dispatchers without using a call center as a
middleman, saving critical time for EMS personnel and passengers involved in
the crash. The information sent by infoMate will better equip EMS personnel
to respond efficiently once they arrive at crash scenes, which will ultimately
provide peace of mind to the consumer.

Khione
Brigham Young University

At Khione, we advocate for an outdoor experience that is simple, easy,

spontaneous, and social. Our sole mission is to break down the barriers,
eliminate the unknowns, simplify the process, and get people, all people,
outside. Our flagship product, the Shel, does just that. This uniquely engi-
neered hammock shelter keeps you warm, dry, and bug-free throughout
the night. It’s simple 2-point suspension system is simple to use and func-
tions with any standard camping hammock. The Shel packs down smaller
than a traditional sleeping bag and weighs less. Khione will get you outside
with less gear and less hassle, guaranteed.

2018 IBMC 17
COMPETING TEAMS

Melijo
University of Brawijaya

Did you know that most farmers are removing themselves from agriculture?
Over the past years, farmers claim that the farming activities haven’t been
able to provide them fit income and the lack of knowledge causes them to
resort to a non-sustainable price offering. Most people are unaware of what
is happening in farming atmosphere. Helping consumers and producers tell
their stories is an important role for a market organization. We pride our-
selves in developing an app to help farmers find their potential buyers and
gain higher income. We have one goal: boost farming activities by provid-
ing suggestions for buyers and projection of profits to the farmers. We also
train the farmers so that farming skills can escalate quickly. Our team boasts
highly driven specialization, led by experienced and respected profession-
als to bring together diverse ideas with a range of skill sets.

NanoPearl
Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai

NanoPearl is a water purification solution, made up of organic & inorganic hy-

brid material metal organic frameworks (MOFs) embedded with silver nanopar-
ticles which is developed indigenously at our lab. NanoPearl effectively re-
moves pathogens, heavy metals (As, Cd, Ni, Pb, Co, etc have direct or indirect
impact on public health) and TDS. Also, this meets the accepted levels of BIS
10500; 2012 which make water safer and drinkable. NanoPearl is committed to
fixing the water problem.

O’heal heal
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

Pressure garment therapy is a prevention and treatment of scarring after

burn injury by applying pressure over the burns with specific garments and
orthoses. It takes approximately two years and is exhausting. Just as sever-
al medical procedures, this therapy is very subjective as it is based purely
on the specialist experience. Therefore, unintentional mistakes are made,
which elongate the therapy unnecessarily. To objectify the involved mea-
surements, we have developed the Pressurescope, a system capable of
knowing the exact applied pressure with special piezoresistive sensors. It
is placed between the scar and the garment and the information is sent to
a mobile app in real time. It can potentially shorten the length of the therapy
by 50%, thus reducing the emotional damage the patient has to go through.

18 Competition Booklet
 COMPETING TEAMS

PlantBox
Ryerson University PlantBox

PlantBox is designing and manufacturing modern planters which automat-

ically inject nutrition and water to keep indoor plants healthy and vibrant.
Founded in 2017 by 4 business and chemistry students PlantBox’s mission
is to bring nature back into our homes and workplaces to improve air quali-
ty, quality of life, and productivity. We’re currently beta testing our first line of
customizable, 3D printed planters while further developing our technology.

Plimes
University of Tsukuba

PLIMES Inc, established by a group of current and former members of the Arti-
ficial Intelligence Laboratory of the University of Tsukuba, focuses on the trans-
ferring of fundamental technologies developed in academia to the society. The
company is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing and consult-
ing of medical, welfare, communication and entertainment technologies. The
products and services from PLIMES serve all age groups from infants to elderly
with diverse physical, social and cognitive abilities. Consisting of a multidisci-
plinary team, PLIMES focuses not on replacing people but on empowering and
enhancing the unfulfilled latent human capabilities.

Pneulyfe
Northern Caribbean University

Pneulyfe originated through Monique Brown-Johnson’s (founder) experience

with pneumonia. Her experience was characterized by excruciating pain and
medications that were ineffective and caused adverse sides effects which
she did not want anyone else to encounter. The product is a natural tonic that
counteracts the major triggers of pneumonia which include bronchitis, influen-
za, and asthma. Microbiological experiments conducted on various plants used
as the main ingredients proved to be very effective against various microbes
that cause pneumonia. This product seeks to not only treat but to prevent the
reoccurrence of the symptoms associated with these respiratory illnesses. We
believe in holistic health, and with the right attitude we will be able to share this
with others through our product. We are Pneulyfe, Where Breathing Comes
Naturally.

2018 IBMC 19
COMPETING TEAMS

Portal Entryways
Brigham Young University

Portal Entryways has created a system which enables facilities managers to

provide effortless hands-free entry and exit to public buildings. We install
a small retrofitted device to the existing motorized door and allow anyone
with a mobile disability to simply download our app and let it run in the
background to have the doors open hands free on approach.

Queritel
The University of the West Indies

Market and legal validation are incredibly important when making strategic and
critical business decisions. Queritel is a research management platform that
facilitates peer to peer information exchange to innovate the collection and
analysis of market data and legal information for entrepreneurs and SMBs.

SheLeads
University of Waterloo

SheLeads enables female focused organizations to collect, analyze, and

share data so girls can reach their full potential. Our web-based platform
uses gamified skill assessment and powerful data analytics to allow organi-
zations to produce gender insights around girls ages 6-16. We compare the
insights produced with other organizational results and open data sources
to generate powerful insights that reflect the young female demographic.
These valuable insights are shared with vetted organizations, companies,
and researchers.

20 Competition Booklet
 COMPETING TEAMS

Shogjur-Recycling for Happiness

Royal Thimphu College

Shog Jur is introducing a new business idea to Bhutanese tourists and cit-
izens alike: turning waste paper into commercially valuable jewelry, orna-
ments, and souvenirs. We have learned how to make necklaces, earrings,
bracelets, miniature temples, and other objects from used paper. We recruit
and train women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to give
them a source of income, independence, and self-worth. Tourists are de-
lighted with our jewelry and souvenirs, which are light, attractive, durable,
and are made in Bhutan, unlike the majority of items found in local hand-
icraft shops. We also appeal to Bhutanese natives because our products
are priced at a fraction of the cost of similar looking items in the market.
Recycling can be profitable as well as socially beneficial!

Skolastik Oasis
The University of the West Indies

SKOLASTIK OASIS CARIBBEAN (SOC) seeks to address inequalities in ter-

tiary education financing, with a three-pronged approach: building aware-
ness, engaging access and providing scholarship application support.
Global trends indicate that government subsidies on Tertiary Education are
declining, which means that student contributions will likely increase. In the
same breath, many scholarships go unclaimed every year due to a lack of
applicants. Our company aims to bridge the gap between students and
tertiary education financing, through seminars, coaching and one-on-one
consultations. To date, our company has secured just over JA$17 million in
scholarships, fellowships and grants, and has coached over 200 clients in
scholarship preparation techniques. Importantly, we desire to develop a ful-
ly digitized Scholarship Database Management System that collects, stores,
analyzes and disseminates information on global funding opportunities for
students ages 15 - 44 years.

Smart Staffing
Michigan State University

Smart Staffing software was designed with private duty home health care
companies for private duty home healthcare companies. We offer an easy
to use, map-based software that makes scheduling more efficient and
optimizes the match between caregiver and client. We can save owners
$45,000-$90,000 a year in direct overhead while maximizing revenue,
minimizing scheduling errors, and improving caregiver retention and cus-
tomer satisfaction.

2018 IBMC 21
COMPETING TEAMS

Songen
University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Our company is called Songen. Its a Japanese word that stands for dignity.
What our company has done is create a new and improved adult brief (dia-
per). The current adult briefs in the market today have issues with leakage,
ease of use, and are big and bulky which make them embarrassing for the
user to wear. Songen’s product addresses all of these issues. We are ad-
dressing the leakage and making it more water retentive. We have found a
way to have make the brief less bulky, fit like underwear, and easier to put
on and off. With Songen, wearers can maintain their dignity.

SOULmuch
San Diego State University

Our mission is to reduce food waste. We are bridging a gap within our food sys-
tem, using ingredients that are often forgotten to make delicious cookies. We
partner with local juice bars to bake their pulp that they get as a by-product of
juicing into the cookies. We also make our own flour by rescuing, dehydrating,
grinding, and baking the excess grains from large volume restaurants into the
cookies. Every cookie is vegan, gluten free, contains no artificial sweeteners,
and equates to one pound of food that is saved from otherwise being dis-
posed of. We all want a cleaner planet. We are simply giving our customers a
chance to do just that, while eating cookies.

Speeko
University of Iowa

Speeko is a mobile app that helps you measure and improve your verbal
communication. Speeko leverages automated voice analytics to provide
data-driven feedback and identify areas for improvement.

22 Competition Booklet
 COMPETING TEAMS

STEM Library Lab

Tulane University

STEM Library Lab is a professional resource center for teachers in New

Orleans. Our mission is to bolster educational opportunities in New Orle-
ans by increasing access to state of the art lab equipment, critical training,
and hands-on lesson plans. SLL’s nonprofit equipment-share library will
create hands-on inquiry-based learning opportunities for students, which
is demonstrated to improve educational outcomes and improve engage-
ment. Through our work, we aim to close the STEM opportunity gap for
public school students in our community, thereby empowering all children
to discover their passion for science and pursue brighter futures.

Tabnex Inc.
University of Waterloo

Businesses must use a reliable and competitive solution to support their hiring
growth or they will go out of business. Recruitment software have long been
used as a standalone solution separate from email and other tools making it
difficult for businesses to hire efficiently and productively. We found a way to
bridge the gap. Tabnex is an AI-powered suite of recruitment products and
data APIs designed to integrate intelligence, automation and scalability into
your business’ recruitment stack at a fraction of the cost of replacement.

The Local Food Experiment

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

The Local Food Experiment maximizes the convenience and affordability of

eating highly nourishing foods made from ingredients grown on eco-friend-
ly, chemical-free, local farms. The aim is to create a new food system to
eradicate the global epidemic of food related chronic disease, eliminate
agricultural water pollution, and build thriving local food economies in every
community.

2018 IBMC 23
COMPETING TEAMS

Tried & True Technology

Quinnipiac University

Tried & True Technology’s goal is to improve efficiency in assisted living com-
munities and hospitals to save lives and reduce alert fatigue. Our application
will alert medical staff when heart arrhythmias are detected in patients. Med-
ical staff will be able to quickly check the alert without breaking the sterile
field, improve response times, and decrease alert fatigue. The application will
be able to alert the medical staff when a patient’s heart rhythm is out of nor-
mal range. We plan on using wearable devices, like smartwatches, to imple-
ment the application. A smartwatch application allows the nurse to respond
quickly to the alert without having to stop what they are doing to take out their
phone. This will help decrease the response times where seconds count.

UKU
Antenor Orrego Private University

UKU, a platform that provides content for child development and early learning.
Our first product is the UKUBox, an educational activity box, part of an integral
model that uses learning paths based on STEAM methodology to help children
develop different skills. Parents can track and monitor their child’s learning pro-
cess as the child enjoys an incredible learning experience that utilizes their
physical and digital environment. Children are motivated to complete all gami-
fied learning activities as they earn badges and rewards.

UniRider
John Brown University

UniRider was envisioned by Alexander Paniagua as he encountered many

problems with public transportation while traveling internationally. Anna
joined after experiencing similar frustrations while studying abroad in Aus-
tralia. The UniRider App is the perfect solution to traveling. Skip the ticket
lines and know exactly where your bus, train, or taxi is in any city. With
UniRider, you’ll never get lost in a new city, miss your bus, or get off at the
wrong stop.

24 Competition Booklet
 COMPETING TEAMS

VerdiLife LLC
The University of Iowa

We strive to make the Earth a healthier planet by replacing harmful chem-

icals in agriculture with all-natural solutions. We produce “Wood Vinegar”,
a 100% organic fertilizer and pesticide, from wood waste via a unique envi-
ronmentally-friendly technology with no emission and zero pollution.

Vertiball
University of New Brunswick

Vertiball is producing a line of products that will fundamentally change the in-
dustry for personal muscle care through its unparalleled effectiveness, ease
of use, and accessibility. The patent pending technology utilizes modified in-
dustrial suction cups to mount onto walls and other flat surfaces allowing the
user to mount it at specific heights in accordance with where their pain is while
giving them the freedom to apply as much (or as little) pressure as they feel
necessary.

Zito International
Monterrey Institute of Technology

Zito promotes the integration of immigrants and refugees in Mexico by us-

ing agro-industrial waste to produce domestic processes, enabling them
to generate products that can be sold in their local community. This can
be done in more than 100 shelters across Mexico, thus empowering the
already existing institutions by transforming them in sustainable shelters.

2018 IBMC 25
JUDGING

2018 Judging Criteria

Each round of the International Business Model Competition is judged using the following
questions:

Hypothesis
•Did the team use a canvas to identify and track hypotheses?
•Did the team clearly state their hypotheses?
•Did the team identify the most crucial hypotheses to test first (the ones that could kill
their business)?

Test
•Did the team design low cost, rapid, but reliable tests of these hypotheses?
•Did the team conduct the tests in a reliable manner?
Number of tests - should be adjusted for industry, product type (web vs physical
product), and business type (B2B vs B2C)

Quality of tests - interviews are high quality, surveys & focus groups are
much lower quality (you don’t know which questions to ask) unless interviews
have been conducted first

•If appropriate, has the team developed a prototype or minimum viable product (MVP)? Does
the team understand the hypotheses they are testing with a prototype or MVP? Is the pro-
totype or MVP appropriate to answer those hypotheses? (We want to reward the testing of
hypotheses using prototypes verses the building of products using untested hypotheses.)

Result
•Did the team clearly state their insights and learning, how those validated or invalidated
a hypothesis, and if that informed any pivots (changes)?
•If changes were made, was the pivot the team made supported by evidence or did they
fail to pivot when the evidence clearly stated it?
•Does the team have significant evidence that the solution is validated (i.e., letters of intent,
purchase contracts, sales, partners, etc.)?

Other
•Is the team solving a significant problem (defined in terms of money or impact)?
NOTE: Because web-based businesses are easier to test, these companies can often piv-
ot faster. Judges are asked to not penalize physical product companies or health-related
businesses because they have not pivoted as much or made as many iterations as web-
based businesses.

26 Competition Booklet
 JUDGING

2018 Final Judges

Aaron Eden is a Co-founder & Chief Operating Officer at Moves the Needle and
Co-founder of Startup Tucson. For more than 25 years, Aaron has utilized his pas-
sion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and customer empathy to transform count-
less businesses by teaching them to adopt Lean Innovation, create new value for
their customers, and generate hundreds of millions in new revenue. As an Innova-
tion Catalyst at Intuit, Aaron spearheaded a grassroots program that trained over
2,500 employees and leaders in Lean Startup, Agile, and Design Thinking practic-
es. He’s continued that work with some of the world’s most innovative companies,
including American Family Insurance, General Electric, and ING, guiding them to
move faster, be bolder, and drive impact.

Aaron Eden

Ash Maurya is the author of two bestselling books “Running Lean” and “Scaling
Lean”, and is also the creator of the highly popular one-page business modeling
tool “Lean Canvas”. Ash is praised for offering some of the best and most practical
advice for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs all over the world. Driven by the search
for better and faster ways for building successful products, Ash has developed
a systematic methodology for raising the odds of success built upon Lean Start-
up, Customer Development, and Bootstrapping techniques. Ash is also a leading
business blogger and his posts and advice have been featured in Inc. Magazine,
Forbes, and Fortune. He regularly hosts sold out workshops around the world and
serves as a mentor to several accelerators including TechStars, MaRS, Capital Fac-
tory, and guest lecturers at several universities including MIT, Harvard, and UT Aus-
tin. Ash serves on the advisory board of a number of startups, and has consulted to
new and established companies. Ash lives in Austin, TX.

Ash Maurya

David J Bland is the Founder & CEO of Precoil, an innovation agency in the San
Francisco Bay Area. He advises global corporations and Silicon Valley startups on
how to find product market fit using lean startup, design thinking and agile. David
has pioneered GE FastWorks with Eric Ries, advised emerging product teams at
Adobe and even mentored Toyota on lean startup practices. Prior to Precoil, David
was a Principal Advisor at Neo and BigVisible, where he created lean startup ser-
vices. Before his transition into advising, David spent over 10 years of his career at
technology startups.

David Bland
2018 IBMC 27
HOW TO WIN

What Winning Teams Do

The purpose of the International Business Model Competition is to reward the process student entre-
preneurs follow to eliminate uncertainty in their businesses. We encourage smart entrepreneurs that
identify and test key business hypotheses, seek input from potential customers, and make necessary
changes based on what is learned. Remember, this is not a business plan or venture pitch competition!

Tell us your story.

If you watch any past winner present, you will see that they start by connecting to the audience through
a compelling, but truthful story about their business. In your story, describe the pain you uncovered and
how you plan to solve it.

Use a canvas.
Start with a blank canvas and step-by-step show your hypotheses, how you tested them, and the re-
sults. Demonstrate visually which hypotheses were validated and which were not. Don’t throw all your
information on the canvas at once, walk the judges through your validation in digestible portions.

Describe the validation.

Each hypothesis you make has to be accompanied with a test or an activity that aims to prove or dis-
prove your hypotheses. Zoom in close on of your tests and explain the hard work you did. We want you
to justify your decision-making and the course of your business with real data from credible sources.

Highlight the lessons learned.

Each test has to lead to the lessons learned and future plan of action. Show what each test taught you,
what was validated, what wasn’t, and what hypotheses and test you made next.

Explain your pivots.

Most of you had to pivot or change a portion of your business in response to customer feedback. We
want you to justify your pivots with concrete data. Just saying that you made a pivot is not enough. Re-
alizing that your hypothesis is inaccurate is not a weakness, but evidence that you learned something.

In conclusion, judges want to see multiple rounds of hypotheses and tests. One or two tests is not
enough to show that you thoroughly researched your business idea. It is not possible to walk through
the entire canvas in 10 minutes, so focus on the hypotheses and tests that are crucial to your business.

28 Competition Booklet
Around the World
2018 IBMC Qualifier Competitions

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United States International

Brigham Young University
Michigan State University
Quinnipiac University
San Diego State University
Tulane University
University of Iowa
University of Mississippi
University of Wisconsin-Extension
Alta Experiential Learning (Peru)
Brawijaya University (ASEAN)
Dalhousie University (Canada)
Ideation Brasil (Brazil)
IIT Kharagpur (India)
National Business Model Competition (Jamaica)
Jump Chile (Chile)
Mekong Challenge (Southeast Asia)
Monterrey Institute of Technology (Mexico)
Waseda University (Japan)

2018 IBMC 29
30 Competition Booklet