The developers of a mobile application that culls continuous, competency-based feedback won the grand prize at the 18th annual Be Your Own Boss Bowl, a Temple University-wide business plan competition.
DevelapMe — developed by the Leadership Analytics Group, LLC — took home more than $60,000 in cash and prizes, including the Bernard Spain, FOX ’56, and Murray Spain, FOX ’65, Grand Prize.
The flagship program of Temple’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI), the Be Your Own Boss Bowl is one of the nation’s most-lucrative business plan competitions, according to Entrepreneur magazine. This year, 12 finalists representing five of Temple’s 17 schools and colleges delivered business plan presentations. They competed more than $500,000 in related products and professional services, and $160,000 in cash prizes – including $120,000 from The Wolfington Family.
Created by Dr. Tony Petrucci, Assistant Professor of Human Resource Management; Dr. Michael Rivera, Associate Professor of Strategic Management; and Cliff Tironi, Performance Analytics Manager for the Fox MBA and MS Programs, among others external to Fox, DevelapMe modernizes the performance review process by providing individuals with a platform for continuous feedback exchange, while simultaneously enabling employers with the ability to aggregate and analyze data that gets at the heart of workforce development. It stands to replace what Petrucci called “pulse surveys,” which are typically sent via email within a company to take the pulse of an organization.
“Instead of traditional surveys, employees have access to real-time feedback that is ongoing,” Tironi said. “Users can review their competency scores and comments, and develop action plans with unprecedented ease.”
Fox School of Business student Tyler Stoltzfus delivers a presentation for his company Green Matters Apparel Co., which won first place in the Be Your Own Boss Bowl’s Social Impact track. (Photo: Lou Caltabiano)
In the last year, the creators of DevelapMe conducted “significant user testing,” Rivera said, and changed its gradation from a thumbs-up/thumbs-down model to one in which users can be scored on a 1-to-5 sliding scale. Using DevelapMe, professionals across all industries can quickly and easily congratulate a coworker on a job well-done, for example, or give a team member a piece of constructive advice, even anonymously if they choose.
“DevelapMe brings the topic of feedback to the forefront,” Petrucci said. “When a strong feedback culture is already in place, anonymity should not be needed, but it is often needed as companies are building that culture.”
Clients must partner with DevelapMe, which is available through the iTunes App Store and Google Play, before it is available for rollout within an organization. Rivera said the company already has achieved a number of sales, and has more within its pipeline.
Ellen Weber delivers remarks at the 2016 Be Your Own Boss Bowl. Weber is Executive Director of Temple University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute. (Photo: Lou Caltabiano)
The Be Your Own Boss Bowl features three distinct tracks: the Undergraduate Track, open to current Temple undergraduate students; the Upper Track, open to Temple graduate students, alumni, faculty and staff; and the Social Impact Track. Winners from each track were:
- Upper Track: DevelapMe
- Social Impact Track: Green Matters Apparel Company, which makes T-shirts from plant materials grown locally (Tyler Stoltzfus, FOX ’16)
- Undergraduate Track: Parking Bee, an online marketplace for finding and renting available parking spaces (Richard Armitage, CST ’16)
For the seventh year, the IEI awarded the Chris Pavlides Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award to an undergraduate student who demonstrates a strong passion for entrepreneurship. This year’s recipient was sophomore Entrepreneurship major Benjamin Thomas. Glen Gaddy, an angel investor and professional in the real estate and consumer product development sectors, received the 2016 Self-Made & Making Others Award.
Be Your Own Boss Bowl 2016, by the numbers
$700,000 — Value of monetary, products, services and mentorship prizes awarded
$120,000 — Value of cash prizes sponsored by the Wolfington Family
$40,000 — Value of the Bernard and Murray Spain Grand Prize, plus an additional $10,000 toward the IEI Summer Studio accelerator
236 — Preliminary judges
223 — Overall participants in BYOBB, representing 13 of Temple University’s 17 schools and colleges
94 — Senior executive mentors
97 — Registered company submissions
34 — Participating finalist team members
12 — Sponsors
12 — Presentation coaches
12 — Finalist teams representing five Temple schools and colleges
6 — Finalist judges