LOUISVILLE, Ky.,(February 24, 2009)--Purus Technologies, a new company proposed by University of Manitoba students, has won the 2009 Brown-Forman Cardinal Challenge Business Plan Competition with a dental diagnostic concept it estimates could benefit up to 97 percent of the world’s population.

Purus was selected over three other finalists in the 12-team competition hosted by the University of Louisville College of Business. Now in its second year, the Challenge is designed to stimulate and reward innovative thinking and entrepreneurial persistence, two factors financial experts say are critical to a global economic recovery.
Manitoba’s optics-based concept would revolutionize the way tooth decay is detected and replace expensive, invasive corrective procedures with preventive measures. For its win, the team received $15,000 and an invitation to the $100,000 Global Moot Corp Business Plan Competition in Austin, Texas.
“This was an important step for it us. It will raise awareness of our concept and get our financing efforts moving ahead,” said Erik St-Hilaire, Purus’s vice-president of operations.
Teams from the University of Louisville and Queen’s University (Ontario) tied for second place and split an $8,000 prize, with the University of Oregon earning the fourth place award of $1,500.
Each team advanced to the Business Plan competition finals by besting two other teams in its semi-final track earlier in the day. Teams that did not make the finals moved to the 60-second Fast Pitch competition. The events’ panel of 19 judges included venture capitalists, angel investors, serial entrepreneurs and business leaders from three states.
“These teams were as impressive as any I’ve seen in a competition,” said venture capitalist Dr. Ken Green, one of three finals’ judges. “Every group had a plausible business concept and believable value proposition.”
In the Fast Pitch competition, the University of Arkansas team won first-place honors and $1,500, with Brigham Young University earning the $1,000 second-place award.
The 110% Rhythm Award sponsored by RJS, LLC for the team that displayed passion and unity beyond all others was presented to the University of Cincinnati.
The competition also included teams from the University of Illinois at Chicago, JohnsHopkinsUniversity, Kennesaw State University, the University of California- Berkeley and the University of Virginia.
“This year we attracted an exceptional array of business plans,” said Competition Director and UofL Cobb Family Professor of Entrepreneurship Van G.H. Clouse. “And each team received valuable feedback from our panel of judges. Moving forward I expect to see multiple competition winners and venture launches from this outstanding group of business plans.”
With more than $30,000 in awards, the Brown-Forman Cardinal Challenge is one of 22 regional collegiate competitions affiliated with Moot Corp, widely considered the “Super Bowl” of business plan competitions.
The 2010 Challenge is scheduled for February 19-20.
More about the 2009 teams and their concepts is available at www.CardinalChallenge.com or Business.louisville.edu.