By Susannah Waite, Editor-in-Chief
Students in the Meinders School of Business are formulating business plans to submit to innovation to enterprise, or i2E.
“I2E, Inc. is a private not-for-profit corporation focused on growing technology-based companies in Oklahoma and making a positive impact on the state’s economy,” according to i2E.org.
Students create teams and then formulate business plans, said Lynette Martin, director of student success for Meinders School of Business.
“This is a really fun competition for us, and for the school,” she said.
Business plans are due mid-March, Martin said.
“People from our advisory board help students polish their plans before they are sent to i2E for the statewide competition,” she said.
The plans are read and scored to determine who moves on in the competition, Martin said.
“After they submit the written plan, they present it,” she said. “This gives students the opportunity to practice presenting, in a real world setting.”
The university has been participating in this competition for about five years and has seen positive results in the past, Martin said.
“Students are introduced to a lot of the community leaders,” she said. “This gives them the chance for job networking and it sharpens their presentation skills.”
Dustin McBride, business administration senior, competed in the i2E competition in 2009.
“I applied for the fellowship program and was placed in an internship with a start-up company,” he said.
McBride now is employed by the small business he interned for through the program.
“It up a lot of doors for me,” he said. “I highly recommend students to compete to get the real world practice.”
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