BioLinc student entrepreneur Matthew Paladino and sport management students Seth Mendelsohn, Kimberly Lennon and Brandon Currie competed this past weekend at the PrimeTime Sports & Entertainment Sport Innovation Case Competition at Ryerson University in Toronto. Their team, From Cancer to Cure, finished second place overall out of seven teams. Teams of three to four students representing York University, Ryerson University, Laurentian University and Schulich School of Business competed against each other for a chance to win $2,000.
Teams were tasked to develop a marketing plan that focused on expansion, revenue generation, and brand building for the Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer event across Canada.
Teams were divided into two divisions and presented their marketing pitch to a panel of judges who provided feedback and challenged teams on their marketing tactics. The team that scored the highest in each division would move on to the finals to compete for the grand prize.
From Cancer to Cure’s marketing plan centered on expanding throughout university communities from coast-to-coast over a three year period. Their branding model focused on leveraging social media to reach the university demographic and promoting sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and legacy building.
After the first round, From Cancer to Cure scored 92/100 which secured a spot in the finals against Ryerson University’s MBA team.
The final round was judged by key stakeholders of the event, including Tom Anselmi, former President and COO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. The judges were blown away by From Cancer to Cure’s presentation, which made their final decision even more challenging. Unfortunately, Ryerson’s MBA team would claim victory by only a couple points.
Overall, this was a great experience for BioLinc’s very own student entrepreneur and Brock’s sport management students. A competition like this provides students with an excellent opportunity to develop presentation, pitching and critical thinking skills that are essential to succeeding in the business world.
Congratulations Matthew, Seth, Kimberly, and Brandon!
