"Babyfones" Wins Undergraduate Business Plan Competition

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is pleased to announce "Babyfones" as the winner of the Third Annual Undergraduate Business Plan Competition. Leading Babyfones are two recent grads, Sarah Vogel, a marketing major, and Dean Jephson, a finance major.

"The business plan competition was designed specifically for undergraduate students at the university and it provides students with an educational experience aimed at helping them develop a new venture idea," said Mark Wellman, a judge for the competition and director of academic programs in entrepreneurship at Smith.

For Vogel, a participant in the Hinman CEOs Program, this is the second consecutive win in the competition. Last year, as a member of the Cyprus Precision team, she tied for first place. This year, with Jephson, she developed Babyfones, a product which will allow pregnant women to play music to their unborn babies. Unlike options from competitors, there is no bulky external box. It's made out of layers of elastic with a removable MP3 player.

Coming in second was Arkhon Technology Solutions, led by seniors Matt Weinstein, Adam Ginsberg and Scott Orkin. Arkhon is a technology consulting firm providing computer and telephone networks to small- and medium-sized businesses in the area.

Third place went to Optimum Productions, an integrated event planning service offering music entertainment, digital photography and a variety of outsourced services. Optimum Productions was founded by marketing major Lee Finkel, who is also in the Hinman CEOs Program.

The Hinman CEOs Program is a unique living-learning entrepreneurship initiative that teaches students how to start their own companies in a high-tech, incubator-like environment.

The winning teams presented their plans at a reception held at the Smith School on December 1, 2004. Babyfones received $1000 for first place, Arkhon received $600 for second and Optimum Productions received $400 for third place.