With over 143 total participants, 13 Temple schools and college represented, and approximately 300 attendees at the competition and 150 at the reception, the 17th annual 2015 BYOBB Finalist Presentations and Awards Ceremony was one of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute’s most successful events yet.

BYOBB was held on April 16 in the Alter Hall Auditorium. After receiving a number of high-quality business plan submissions, 12 finalist companies from across Temple University’s 17 colleges presented impressive pitches to six judges from the Philadelphia professional and investor community. In addition to cash prizes, top winners were also given the opportunity to pitch in front of the Region’s leading investor groups. To find a full list of BYOBB winners click here.

“This is an honor and an amazing privilege. I’m looking forward to the year for RatesForUs. Thanks Temple University!” – BenStucker, RatesForUs, Inc., 1st Place Upper Track and Grand Prize Winner BYOBB 2015.

Temple alumnus, Cofounder and Editorial Director of Technical.ly Philly, Christopher Wink, was the event’s keynote speaker and honored during the awards ceremony by receiving the “Temple Self-Made and Making Others Award.” Christopher shared key tips to the entrepreneurs in the crowd, advising to “Be a founder not a boss.” Connect with Christopher on Twitter @christopherwink to start a conversation and learn more about the young successful entrepreneur.

“The bar is higher every year, the companies are more seasoned and the crowd gets bigger. I really enjoyed watching this year’s competition and reflecting on my time as a BYOBB participant.” – Ofo Ezeugwu, Whose Your Landlord, 1st Place Upper Track Winner BYOBB 2014.

The BYOBB was a free and public event, allowing attendees to vote for their favorite winner via a real-time feedback platform called YORN, Your Opinion. Right Now. When the event concluded at 6 p.m., the BYOBB results were in!

Those who used the hashtag #BYOBB2015 on Twitter had the opportunity to win IEI giveaways including movie tickets throughout the event. The competition winners were Twitter users including @No_IMC, @lcvii and @DilMD. Thank you all for participating!

Look forward to BYOBB 2016 updates on our website and be sure to follow us on Twitter @IEIfox, Facebook at www.facebook.com/FoxIEI and Instagram @temple_iei. To learn more about the event, simply search the hashtag #BYOBB2015 on Twitter or email us at [click-for-email].