Three alumni of  the Wisconsin MBA’s Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship have placed in the prestigious Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Competition. Directed by the Wisconsin Technology Council for the past six years, the competition encourages entrepreneurs in the creation, start-up and early-growth stages of high-tech businesses in Wisconsin.

This year, a record 326 entries from 287 individuals in 106 different locales around the state competed for a total of more than $200,000 in cash and in-kind prizes. On June 9, a Grand Prize of $50,000 in cash and services was awarded to Hartland, Wis.-based Eso- Technologies, a start-up company that has developed a monitoring device to reduce the risk of heart attacks for people undergoing surgery. In addition, several category winners were announced for plans contributing to Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, Information Technology and Life Sciences.

The following Weinert Center graduates were among those selected as category winners for 2009:

NxtMile Custom Running Shoes, a plan presented by Michael Miller (MBA 2008), took top prize in the Advanced Manufacturing category. Miller’s shoes utilize proprietary pressure-mapping technology and are engineered and custom assembled to address the specific biomechanical and orthopedic needs of over-40 and experienced runners, helping them to prevent injury.

Placing second in the category of Business Services was software-intensive firm Sandbox International LLC, founded by Scott Daigger (BBA 2002, MBA 2007) and Todd Wendrick (MBA 2007). Sandbox has developed a proprietary web application to help market researchers identify creative individuals to participate in consumer co-creation initiatives.

Kyle Montgomery, a 2006 graduate of the Weinert Center, came in third in the Life Sciences category for his AquaMost plan. AquaMost wants to commercialize a novel, advanced water treatment technology called photoelectrocatalytic oxidation, which efficiently and economically destroys water-borne pathogens and pollutants.

Click here for more information on the 2009 Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Competition and conference.

The Financial Times has released its annual rankings of the world’s top executive education providers. The Wisconsin School of Business for the fifth consecutive year made the list of top providers, ranking 14th in the U.S. and 27th in the world in the publication’s combined ranking. Last year, the school ranked 13th in the U.S. and 23rd in the world.

For custom executive education programs, Wisconsin ranks 8th among U.S. schools for the second consecutive year (tied with Chicago Booth) and 19th in the world. Last year, it was ranked 15th in the world. In custom programs, Wisconsin ranks first in facilities and level of follow-up once participants return to the workplace. Wisconsin ranks sixth in overall value, program design and quality of faculty.

For open enrollment programs, Wisconsin Executive Education ranks 15th among the top providers in the U.S. and 29th in the world. Last year, it ranked 14th among the top providers in the U.S. and 30th in the world. Open enrollment programs rank 8th in quality of food and accommodation.

See complete results here:

The Financial Times rankings are based on feedback from course participants and a survey of business schools. The methodology includes data provided by the schools and a survey of more than 5,000 senior and general management course participants. This year, 55 schools participated in the open-enrollment category and 65 in the customized category. The ranking is based on 16 categories that include course design, faculty, teaching materials, facilities, program follow-up and quality of participants, among others.

From high-tech flavored plastics and eco-friendly vending machines to medical devices for emerging countries, students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are pursuing solutions to everyday problems.

Thirty students and a record number of 18 teams competed in this year’s G. Steven Burrill Business Plan Competition at the Wisconsin School of Business for the chance to win more than $20,000 in prize money.

Students presented their original business plans on Friday, April 17, in Grainger Hall on the UW-Madison campus. The top prize of $10,000 was won by the team for City Dictionary, which offers information on local culture, and language for cities around the world.

“Entrepreneurship leads to innovation — it answers questions and provides solutions to real and emerging needs,” says Anne Miner, professor of Management and Human Resources at the Wisconsin School of Business and director of the competition. “Through this annual event students have the opportunity to come together and create answers to society’s most challenging problems. It is exciting to see these young minds develop the next generation of innovative ideas that will drive tomorrow’s business.”

Since its inception in 1998, more than 300 students have participated in the competition while thousands have attended skill-building seminars to develop their business planning expertise. BusinessWeek and other national media have recognized competition alumni for their successes.

The competition is named for sponsor G. Steven Burrill, a longtime supporter of student innovation and entrepreneurship. Burrill is CEO of Burrill & Company, a life sciences merchant bank with more than $950 million under management. He earned a BBA degree from the Wisconsin School of Business in 1966.

2009 COMPETITION WINNERS

1st  place ($10,000)
City Dictionary

2nd place ($7,000)
Add the Flavor

3rd place ($4,000)
Ecostream

4th place($1,000)
Cultured Kids Immersion Schools LLC

ERLC Choice Award ($100)
VirtuWill

Mini-Competition Award ($250)
PosiPair

Nelson Sustainable Venture Award ($1000)
Ecostream

Social Impact Award ($1,000)
A+ Mission

Read about this year’s competition

A design presented by a team of students from MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning and the Wisconsin School of Business Real Estate MBA program was selected as the winning plan in the 2009 ULI Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition. Final-round presentations were held at the University of Denver on April 2. The winning team received a prize of $50,000. [Read more]

From high-tech running shoes and rooftop gardens to solar-powered camp lighting and social networking software for cell phones, students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are pursuing solutions to everyday problems. [Read more]

Four current and five former Wisconsin School of Business entrepreneurship students and Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Bootcamp participants are members of the 51 semi-finalist teams competing in the prestigious Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest. The contest, now in its fifth year, encourages entrepreneurs in the creation, start-up and early-growth stages of high-tech businesses in Wisconsin. [Read more]

A group of undergraduate business students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business have advanced to the national finals of the Deloitte Tax Case Study Competition, to be held in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 16-18. [Read more]

Twenty-seven students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who have devised business plans for products – ranging from high velocity air plows for snow removal to digital displays for windows – will face off in the G. Steven Burrill Technology Business Plan Competition on Friday, April 20 at Grainger Hall, 975 University Avenue.

[Read more]

A team of Wisconsin MBA students took second place in the MBA International Business Case Competition held March 2-3 at Kansas University.

[Read more]

For the third time in five years, a team of accounting students from the University of-Madison School of Business has won a national case competition.

[Read more]

A graduate of the noted Applied Security Analysis Program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business is one of five national finalists for Morningstar’s Manager of the Year award.

[Read more]

A team of undergraduates from the UW-Madison School of Business earned second place in a national competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

[Read more]

University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business students and alumni were among top finalists in two business plan competitions.

[Read more]

From sustainable energy sources for developing countries to affordable unmanned aerial security vehicles, student entrepreneurs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are creating solutions for today’s most challenging problems.

[Read more]

Wisconsin MBA students placed first in the annual Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) MBA International Business Case Competition from April 6-9 at the Fluno Center for Executive Education.

[Read more]