SOM alumna wins first Silverman Business Plan Competition
On Jan. 10, Simmons SOM held its first annual Silverman Business Plan Competition. The winner, Michelle Conceison ‘03, was awarded a $10,000 cash prize for her business plan for Market Monkeys. The event featured remarks from six finalists, as well as SOM’s current Executive in the Classroom and keynote speaker for the event, Trish Karter - co-founder and CEO of Dancing Deer Baking Company.
Conceison’s company, Market Monkeys, is an integrated music marketing and management company specializing in marketing folk musicians in the digital entertainment age. During her remarks, Conceison spoke passionately about the company and the diverse set of services it offers to independent musicians and managers in the folk music arena. She also talked about the way in which Market Monkeys leverages the latest internet-based technologies to market and sell music.
“Being an entrepreneur can be a very isolating thing. This competition not only put me in front of teams of mentors to question, prod, and also conquer — but the event itself was rewarding. I manage musicians, so I’m always the person in the background. It was very rewarding to find people actively excited and engaged about my business,” said Conceison.
“We were all impressed by the quality of the business plan presentations and the passion and commitment of the finalists,” said SOM Dean Deborah Merrill-Sands. “The Business Plan Competition is a galvanizing opportunity for our alumnae to draw on a rich set of resources within the extended SOM network of faculty, alumnae, friends, and students to focus their entrepreneurial aspirations and sharpen their business plans.”
As the capstone event for the MBA Entrepreneurship Initiative, the Silverman Business Plan Competition will be a catalyst for Simmons SOM alumna working to start-up entrepreneurial businesses for years to come.
The Silverman Business Plan Competition is named for Lois Silverman, founder of CRA Managed Care (now called Concentra Managed Care), and also founding chair of The Commonwealth Institute. Simmons School of Management is grateful to the generosity of Lois Silverman whose gift made this competition possible. We are also appreciative of the Class of 2002 for their generous support of this business plan initiative.
—> Read the full press release
—> Learn more about additional finalists and the Silverman Business Plan Competition
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