SDSU Team Offering Unique Social Business Plan Wins Major University Competition

SAN DIEGO, April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The College of Business Administration at San Diego State University (SDSU) announced today a team consisting of an SDSU College of Business alumnus, faculty member and a current SDSU business student took first prize in the Richard Barrentine Values and Ventures Business Plan Competition held at Texas Christian University on April 10 and 11, 2015. The team was awarded $25,000 in prize money and $75,000 of in-kind support from business sponsors.

The team, consisting of SDSU management lecturer Michael Sloan, alumnus Gemechu Abraham, and management student Peter Morrill, demonstrated a threshing machine that efficiently processes teff, a grain the size of a sesame seed, found primarily in Ethiopia. Teff is a critical part of the Ethiopian diet, though it is currently harvested by having either animals or humans stomp on the harvested grass until the grain drops on the ground.

"Currently, it takes approximately 14 hours, five humans and several livestock animals to produce two pounds of teff," said Morrill. "Our threshing machine can produce 7.5 pounds of grain in the same amount of time using only two humans. Plus the grain is cleaner and without the dirt and debris that accumulates on it when it is swept up off the ground."

Gemechu Abraham ('11, management) is the founding entrepreneur of World Entrepreneurs Do Good (W.E. Do Good), which is the organization behind the teff threshing machines. "Our business plan calls for allowing Ethiopian women the ability to purchase the threshing machines with low interest loans," he said. "These entrepreneurial women would then rent the machines to farmers providing cash to the women and their families and giving the farmers a more cost effective method of processing their grain before it goes to market."

An early prototype of the threshing machine was tested earlier this year in Ethiopia with much success. The Ethiopian test group offered suggestions for improvements to the machine which the team will incorporate into their third prototype. That prototype is expected to be complete and ready for testing by the end of this year.

Along with the prizes from the Values and Ventures competition, additional support for W.E. Do Good has come from SDSU's Lavin Entrepreneurship Center and SDSU's Zahn Innovation Center, who assembled a team of engineering students to design and build the prototype.

"Winning the TCU Ventures and Values Competition provides the W.E. Do Good social venture with critical resources and invaluable relationships," said Sloan. "The dream to substantially reduce poverty and have a significant social impact for farmers and women in Ethiopia will now become a reality."

About the College of Business Administration
With nearly 5,000 students, SDSU's College of Business Administration is one of the largest business schools in the U.S. For 60 years, the College has produced some of the most successful and influential business leaders in the world. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu/business.

About SDSU
San Diego State University is a major public research institution offering bachelor's degrees in 91 areas, master's degrees in 78 areas and doctorates in 22 areas. The university provides transformative experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, for its 35,000 students. Students participate in research, international experiences, sustainability and entrepreneurship initiatives, and a broad range of student life and leadership opportunities. The university's rich campus life features opportunities for students to participate in, and engage with, the creative and performing arts, a Division I athletics program and the vibrant cultural life of the San Diego region. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

Contact: Suzanne Finch
Chief Communications Officer
SDSU College of Business Administration
(619) 594-0206
[email protected]

SOURCE San Diego State University College of Business Administration

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