SMU STUDENT NAMED EO DALLAS WINNER IN THE GLOBAL STUDENT ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS
DALLAS – November 16, 2015 – Edward Allegra, a Southern Methodist University (SMU) student, became the proud winner of the Dallas qualifying competition for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA), a program of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Edward Allegra, 22 years old, bested his competitors with an innovative smartphone-based medical device that is able to monitor and help manage asthma. Allegra is co-founder and runs the company while also attending college. The judges selected Allegra based on his vision for BioLum as well as his desire to make a mark with a product that can improve the quality of others’ lives and the way asthma is diagnosed and managed.
In order to qualify for this award, Allegra had to be an undergraduate student and the owner of a for-profit (revenue generating) business that has operated for at least six consecutive months.
Founded in April 2015, BioLum is the developer of a smartphone based medical device that is able to monitor and help manage asthma. This is accomplished by utilizing chemiluminescence to detect and quantify specific disease biomarkers found in exhaled breath condensate. The BioLum device will enable users to monitor their condition with a mobile health platform, which can indicate lung condition and function. The device will aid in treatment programs as patients manage their symptoms, as is the trend with emerging mobile health technologies. BioLum’s smartphone integrated technology offers a valuable opportunity to gather global data about this illness that plagues millions. The device will help doctors identify when asthma is the worst (time of year), where it is the worst (location/region), triggers that cause it as well as how to best prevent asthma from occurring and what medications treat the illness.
The company has raised $118,000 in capital and prize money to develop the product and begin a research study at SMU. BioLum will begin a clinical study for the product in January, which will also start the company’s FDA regulatory process.
“Our goal is to get the BioLum device in the hands of asthma patients all over the world as a low-cost personal health management system. BioLum will gather data about asthma and help the world deal with growing health problems,” said Edward Allegra, president BioLum.
“In our first year of the EO Dallas student competition we discovered an impressive group of undergraduate entrepreneurs,” said Jessica Nunez, chair, EO Dallas GSEA. Students like Edward Allegra of BioLum are pioneering the next generation of great business ventures. I am honored that we can bring them global visibility through this EO program.”
This Dallas entrepreneur will go on to compete at the U.S. national competition in Miami on February 11, 2016. The winner of the National Competition will attend the GSEA Global Finals to compete with the world’s top student entrepreneurs and have a chance to win over US$150,000 in cash and donated business services. Allegra will also receive a valuable prize package including:
• $1,000 prize money
• One-year EO Dallas Accelerator Membership | Value: $2,500
• Three-Month Mentorship, EO Dallas Forum of Entrepreneurs | Value: Priceless
• BizOwners Ed, 5-week Entrepreneurial Program, Gallery Participant | Value: $2,000
• Lunch and Internet Marketing, Globe Runner | Value: $1,000
• Marketing Communications Consultation, TruePoint Communications | Value: $1,000
• Logo Creation, Worlds of Wow! | Value: $2,500
About the Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s Global Student Entrepreneur Awards
As the premier global competition undergraduate 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. To nominate a student entrepreneur or to get involved, go to www.gsea.org and follow GSEA on Twitter at @EO_GSEA.
About the Entrepreneurs’ Organization
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a global business network of more than 11,000 business owners in more than 131 chapters and 53 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.
