Australian student wins regional Global Student Entrepreneur Awards competition, will compete at Global Finals in Washington, DC, USA
Staff
Alexandria, VA, USA (6 November 2013) – The Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s Global Student Entrepreneur Awards(GSEA), a global competition of students running revenue-generating businesses, recently held its Australian competition in Melbourne. Students from universities across Australia were showcased as some of the most promising young entrepreneurs in Australia, and competed for the right to move on to the Global Finals competition to be held next month in Washington, DC, USA. Adam Stone from Monash University emerged as the winner, competing on behalf of his company, Ideal Connection Pty Ltd.
“EO's GSEA was a fantastic opportunity that allowed me to showcase my business as well as receiving useful critique from the acclaimed judges,” said Stone. “It was great to meet other like-minded Australians in my age group who are running their own businesses. I look forward to meeting other young entrepreneurs in Washington DC from all around the world, and being able to present to a wider audience.”
Each year, local and regional competitions take place around the world to determine which students will attend the Global Finals. The Australian regional competition was held at the PwC offices in Melbourne, and was judged by some of the most successful entrepreneurs in Australia. The students who competed included:
- Liam Darmody, University of Adelaide, FitUsIn
- Anthony Lam, Monash University, Punchy Sales Videos
- Charlotte Parker, RMIT, Charlotte Hamilton Food
- Jock Purtle, University of Western Sydney, Silver Platter Business Pty Ltd
- Adam Stone, Monash University, Ideal Connection Pty Ltd
“The regional GSEA competitions are a great way to highlight and foster some of Australia’s most promising future business leaders,” said Carlo G. Santoro, GSEA Director of the Australian GSEA Awards program. “GSEA cultivates the next generation of successful entrepreneurs by giving them the experiences and resources they need to succeed. We are very excited to be sending Adam this year – he is our seventh winner of the Australia GSEA program.”
“We also want to thank PwC Melbourne for their involvement in the competition. They brought a tremendous amount of value to the program and for the students themselves, and we are truly grateful for their sponsorship.”
The GSEA is the premier global competition for high school, undergraduate and graduate students who own and operate businesses while attending college or university. GSEA supports early stage student entrepreneurs who require much needed mentorship, recognition and connections to take their businesses to the next level of success.
The Entrepreneur Organization’s Chairman of the Global Board, Rosemary Tan, a member of the organization’s Malaysia chapter, will be one of the business leaders on hand to judge the competition.
“Our mission at EO is to help leading entrepreneurs learn and grow, and the GSEA competitions around the world are one of the most impactful ways we make that a reality,” said Tan. “I’m excited to see students from around the world represent their businesses and universities at the Global Finals.”
At the highest level, it is GSEA’s mission to inspire students to adopt entrepreneurial endeavors by bringing global visibility to undergraduate business owners whose companies are innovative, profitable, socially responsible and adhere to high ethical standards.
Undergraduate and graduate students who have owned and operated a business for at least six months are eligible to be nominated to compete for the title of EO Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year. Nominees compete against their peers from around the world.
Regional competitions are held in 25 countries from April to October, and the Global Finals competition is held during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in November. Judges at last year’s Global Finals included representatives from NYSE Euronext, The Kauffman Foundation, Cisco,
The New York Times,
Upstart Business Journal, EO and former GSEA champions.
The Global Finals champion receives US$150,000 in cash and in-kind business services from EO to help propel his or her business to the next level.
About the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA)
As the premier global competition for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, the GSEA represents more than 1,700 prominent student entrepreneurs from more than 20 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.
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 GSEA is generously supported by major foundations, including the NYSE Euronext Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Peter Thomas. To nominate a student entrepreneur or to get involved, go to Global Student Entrepreneur Awards(GSEA) and follow GSEA on Twitter at @GSEACompetition.
