The Asper School of Business’ recent sweep of a business competition has given the school a world record 46 first-place finishes since 1995.

On April 23 and 24, A2K Technologies, a team comprised of MBA candidate Andrea Legary and Asper student Curtis Leonhardt, competed against 16 teams in the inaugural Alerus Entrepreneurship Challenge hosted by the University of North Dakota and they won all the competition’s awards: Most Innovative Idea, Best Elevator Pitch and Grand Champion.

A2K’s success has earned it a berth in the world championships, Global MOOT Corp., which is held in Austin, Texas, from May 5-9. This marks the eighth consecutive year the University of Manitoba has won a berth. The Asper School is the only Canadian school, and one of only a handful in the world, to accomplish this.

The team also has Anocha Jivanuwong and Katherine O’Rourke who were absent in Grand Forks. They were, however, present when A2K won the Lightning Round at the University of Oregon’s New Venture Championship in early April.

A2K also won the Georgia Bowl in Atlanta on February 8.

A2K proposes to license a non-invasive colorectal screening tool from the National Research Council and complete the product development necessary to bring it to market. Their lead product, Colospec, is much more accurate than current methods in identifying patients with colorectal cancer. The product is currently completing its beta trials and A2K proposes to take the product through the necessary regulatory procedures in Canada and the US.

“Andrea and the A2K team are a great example of the skills and abilities of students at the Asper School,” Rob Warren, I.H. Asper executive director for entrepreneurship at the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship, says. “They’ve taken research done in Winnipeg and combined it with an experienced group of advisors to develop a proposed venture that could generate millions in revenues and result in the creation of high paying jobs in Winnipeg.”

To see video of Andrea Legary giving her award-winning elevator pitch and her tips for how to do it, click here. 

For more information contact Robert Warren, I. H. Asper Executive Director for Entrepreneurship, Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba at 204-474-8422 (warrenr@ms.umanitoba.ca).