Gulliver’s Fourth Annual Business Plan Showcase, which was held on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, featured students’ original business ideas that presented solutions and innovations for real life situations.
The winning business venture was SOL, a system to prevent infant death and injuries from heat by installing sensors in vehicles. The team was comprised of three Gulliver Prep juniors from the International Business and Entrepreneurship Signature Academic Program: Carolina Freund, Alex F. Roth, and Santiago Vergara.
TRAQS, which won second place, is an adhesive patch connected to an app that can be placed under any accessory worn at the wrist, that allows you to track your pulse and potentially save lives. Miss. Assist, which came in third place, is a portable net that quickly attaches to a soccer goal giving five extra feet of netting, preventing players from having to chase the ball after they miss.
Also presented were VASKA, an intuitive luggage system; Lily Hoch, a women’s accessories brand that bridges the gap between original design and customization; and Know4, a tool that promotes teaching and learning in students’ preferred learning styles.
The prestigious panel of judges included:
- Leonel Azuela, Gulliver parent and managing director of Quaxar, a firm specializing in interactive marketing and customer relationship management in Latin America
- Nancy Dahlberg, longtime business writer and researcher for The Miami Herald
- Jessica Gonzalez, Gulliver parent and Trustee and marketing director for First Class Resorts, a hospitality company specializing in the Caribbean
- Michalis Stavrinides, Vice Chair of the Gulliver Board of Trustees and partner at Banyan Investors
- Vince C. Lago ’96, Gulliver alum, City of Coral Gables Commissioner and executive for a management and design firm which specializes in the construction of medical and educational facilities
- Frank Steel, Gulliver’s Head of School
- Gaby Telepman ’16, Gulliver alum whose team project, Roba, won first place in Gulliver’s first Business Plan Showcase in 2015, and current sophomore at the University of Richmond majoring in business administration and Latin American studies
- Jonathan Vilma, Gulliver parent, former NFL player and current ESPN college football analyst and entrepreneur
