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Texas Moot Corp Competition Nears
 The
Texas Moot Corp Competition demonstrates
how new ventures raise venture capital.
This year's teams will continue the
tradition of great UT Austin MBA- lead
start-ups that trace their fundraising
directly to the Texas Moot Corp
Competition.
Recent competitors in the Texas
Competition include
MacuCLEAR (2007, funded by Regent
Technologies),
Phurnace Software (2006, funded by
Lone Star Ventures),
Bigfoot Networks (2005, funded by
Venio Capital Partners), and
uShip (2004, funded by Benchmark
Capital).
Come hear the
latest venture ideas coming out of UT
Austin at the Texas Moot Corp Semifinals
Competition on Wednesday,
January 23 beginning at 4:00 PM
in CBA 3.304, CBA 6.420 and GSB 5.130.
Eleven teams will compete in three
divisions with ideas ranging from a
microbial fuel cell technology for
recycling and treating wastewater to a
video interpretation service for
hospitals.
The top
finishers will move to the finals on
Wednesday, February 6
at 4:00 PM in the Legacy Events Room.
The winner of the Texas Finals will
represent the University of Texas at
Austin in the Global Moot Corp
Competition running April 30 - May 3 at
The University of Texas at Austin.
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UT Ventures Continue to Prosper
New
ventures coming out of the Texas Moot Corp
Competition have continued to grow and
prosper. Below are updates on just a few of
the many successful businesses coming out of
the Competition.
MacuCLEAR
2007 Texas Moot Corp
Competition Winner
MacuCLEAR, Inc. is a
privately-held specialty pharmaceutical
company focused on the design and
development of small molecule products
for ophthalmic and other indications. In
ophthalmics, they are developing
innovative eye drops to treat
age-related diseases, including the
leading causes of blindness and vision
impairment: Atrophic Age-Related Macular
Degeneration (Dry AMD), Diabetic
Retinopathy (DR) and Simple Ischemic
Retinopathy.
MacuCLEAR's
ophthalmic product candidates
address large unmet medical needs
that are expected to grow rapidly as
the generation of baby boomers age.
MacuCLEAR is driving innovation with
the development of an eye drop
treatment for the dry form of AMD,
which affect around 13 million
Americans and 27 million people
globally. Currently, no FDA-approved
pharmaceutical treatment exists for
dry AMD, which affects 90% of all
people who suffer from AMD.
Read more success stories. |
Market
Research on the Cheap
BusinessWeek, Jan. 9, 2008
Large
corporations spend millions on
sophisticated surveys and focus
groups from established researchers.
But for entrepreneurs operating on a
shoestring budget, there are ways to
gather key information about your
customers and prospects without
hiring an outside firm.
Rob Adams, McCombs
management lecturer, director of the
Moot Corp competition and author of
"A Good Hard Kick in the Ass: Basic
Training for Entrepreneurs,"
provides one key tip: Research the
same way you sell. "If you sell in
person, survey in person. If you
sell over the phone, survey over the
phone," Adams said. And for
entrepreneurs who plan to sell
primarily online, a Web survey can
gauge interest. "If you get no
results, that should tell you
something," he added.
Read more.
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