At the end of November, CU students took home the highest scores in an international competition of business and entrepreneurial skills.
Kristin Apple, David Crater and Tatyana Hinkston took first place in the Business Masters 2007 International Case Study that took place during Nov. 21-23. Both Hinkston and Crater had engineering backgrounds while Apple had a business background.
“We had a good team based on our strengths,” Apple said.
The competition had two rounds. In the first round, the team had to make a solar energy unit based on social entrepreneurship principles. The CU team made a plan to improve transportation in Africa and improve ability to get from one place to another. 12 of the 80 teams moved on to the final round.
The team won the second round for a solar powered water irrigation system that they created. They also micro-financed the plan to make it affordable to impoverished farmers. They based it on the United Nations Millennium Development goals.
“We wanted to help the rural population,” Apple said.
The team doesn’t plan to implement their plan, but several people asked about their plan and were given free range to act.
“To implement this plan is a full-time job,” Crater said.
The team was shocked that it won out of all the contestants. Since they weren’t able to see any of the other presentations, they could only guage how they did themselves.
“We didn’t expect that we would win,” Hinkson said.
According to the trio, all three had a great time in Germany. For Hinkston, who is originally from the Ukraine, it was going closer to home. She also said the people running the event were extremely helpful.
“It’s the best organized event I’ve ever been to,” Hinkston said.
Hinkston thanked the school for all the help it had given him.
“Our faculty helped us a lot,” Hinkston said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Aaron Musick at aaron.musick@colorado.edu
