Farmplicity and FiberFix Dominate Global Student Entrepreneur Awards
Posted on October 30, 2013
Washington University Student and Brigham Young University Student Will go on to Compete for Title of EO’s Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year in Nov.
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Oct. 22, 2013 – The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) today announced the winners of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards’ (GSEA) regional competitions in Columbus, Ohio and San Francisco, CA. Jolijt Tamanaha from Washington University and co-founder & COO of Farmplicity, and Spencer Quinn from Brigham Young University and co-founder & CEO of FiberFix will go on to compete for the title of Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year in Washington D.C. from Nov 20-22, 2013. The EO Global Student Entrepreneur Awards is the premier global competition honoring the top high school, college and graduate students who have founded and are running revenue-generating businesses.
Tamanaha and Quinn had 10-15 minutes to present to a panel of judges from the Entrepreneurs’ Organization – a global network with more than 9,500 members and 131 chapters in more than 40 countries. Tamanaha competed against four other regional finalists in order to advance to the next round and was the only female in the running. Quinn also bested four competitors.
“Year after year we’re seeing more students apply for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards that have extremely established businesses, so GSEA is becoming an increasingly rigorous competition for college entrepreneurs,” said Adam Robinson, Global GSEA Sub-Committee Chair. “Tamanaha and Quinn are perfect examples of how acting on a problem that you’re passionate about can lead not only to a valuable solution but also a profitable business – and you don’t have to wait until you’re 40 to get started.”
Farmplicity is an online marketplace for farmers to sell directly to chefs in the St. Louis area. It was founded by Tamanaha and three other WashU students in April of 2013 and already has more than 70 chefs and more than 80 farmers as customers. In the month of September alone, Farmplicity’s sales were two times that of sales from April through August combined. They plan to expand across the U.S. as they scale their business.
“Being a part of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, I realized that a key component to being a successful entrepreneur is joy,” said Jolijt Tamanaha, co-founder & CEO, Farmplicity. “The members of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization are so full of joy and passionate about their ventures. Their stories inspired and encouraged me, and being selected as a finalist shows that people truly care about what Farmplicity is doing. I founded the Company because I’m passionate about finding profitable solutions to social issues that public policy and politics can’t or won’t take on.”
Spencer Quinn launched FiberFix in October of 2012 out of the frustration of not having strong enough tapes and fumbling with messy epoxies for home repairs. FiberFix is a repair wrap that is 100X stronger than duct tape and hardens in minutes; it’s also waterproof, cold and heat resistant and non-toxic. The wrap is inspired by the casting tape physicians use to repair broken bones.
“We discovered casting tape could be modified to make an incredibly strong and durable solution for common household and industrial repairs,” said Spencer Quinn, co-founder and CEO of FiberFix. “FiberFix allows anyone to easily and permanently take care of household repairs. The opportunity to learn from those in the Entrepreneurs’ Organization is of paramount importance, and competing at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards Finals will no doubt challenge me and help me to further grow both as an individual and a young business owner.”
EO was founded in 1987 with the mission to build a better entrepreneur and they have been running the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards competition since 2006.
About the Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s Global Student Entrepreneur Awards
As the premier global competition for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) represents more than 1,700 of the prominent student entrepreneurs from more than 32 countries. Built on a mission to inspire students to start and grow entrepreneurial ventures, GSEA brings global visibility to pioneering student business owners. Since 1998, the GSEA, a program founded at the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University, has honored outstanding students who simultaneously attend university full-time while running their own businesses. The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) took on leadership of the GSEA in 2006 to offer student entrepreneurs access to a global network of mentors, resources and connections from the most influential community of entrepreneurs in the world. The Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s GSEA is generously supported by Thomas Franchise Solutions and The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. To nominate a student entrepreneur or to get involved, go to GSEA and follow GSEA on Twitter at @EO_GSEA.
About the Entrepreneurs’ Organization
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a global business network of more than 9,500 business owners in 131 chapters and 40 countries. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO enables small and large business owners to learn from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life. The organization’s vision is to build the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs, which aligns with its mission of supporting entrepreneurial education and engaging entrepreneurs to learn and grow.
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization also operates the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA), the premier award program for high school, undergraduate and graduate students that own and run businesses while attending college or university; and Accelerator, a series of quarterly, high-impact learning events designed to provide top business owners with the tools, knowledge and skills they need to grow their businesses to more than US$1 million in annual revenue.
Media Contact:
Jessica Fletcher
Emerging Media
212-922-5885
[email protected]
