UAA Small Business Plan Competition Accepting Entries
With her mother at her side and her son in hand, Alaskan Wildlings owner Ali Ginter receives the 2022 Grand Prize from John Nofsinger, dean of the UAA College of Business and Public Policy.
UAA CBPP
May the Best Pitch Win
The CBPP Business Plan Competition encourages entrepreneurship and economic development. It is open to students from any UAA campus and to non-students residing in the Municipality of Anchorage. Competitors present their startup ideas and receive feedback from experienced investors, executives, and seasoned entrepreneurs.
An information session for applicants is scheduled for January 26, focused on business plan components. Competitors must sign up online for the info session.
On March 17, one month after the deadline, the finalists will be announced. The following week, those finalists will have time for the Investor Pitch Info Session to prepare for the Perfect Pitch presentation and Q&A.
The big moment, the Perfect Pitch, is scheduled for April 8. Finalists will attend in person to showcase their businesses during a mini Trade Show followed by live investor pitches in front of a panel of judges and a live audience.
Last April, the Business Plan Competition awarded a total of $17,000 in prizes.
The grand prize of $8,000 went to Ali Ginter of Ketchikan, whose Alaskan Wildlings applied to patent a modern cloth diaper that is absorbable, comfortable, colorful, and adjusts as a baby grows. Judges noted they believe Alaskan Wildlings is a viable business that is bringing awareness to Alaska and Alaska culture. Ginter’s mother, Trixi Bennet, helped co-author the business plan. They both also won the $2,000 Sustainability Award and the $1,000 First Fortune 500 Award.
The second-place prize of $4,000 went to Blue Collar Design, owned by Ross Spencer and Joe Trout, for the Apex LadderBox, a storage solution that attaches to the top of a ladder. Spencer graduated from UAA in May with a bachelor’s degree in business management.
The People’s Choice Award of $2,000 went to Irene Sexton’s MyCy Pack, a concept to develop insulated shipping packaging made from fungus. Sexton is another business management graduate.
The fourth finalist was Chinook Cabinet Doors, a company founded by Atlin Bell, a graduate from the accounting program, that refurbishes existing cabinet doors with a CNC router.
Angels Be Swooping: Investors Award Underwear Entrepreneur
The top choice of investors at the 2025 Alaska Angel Conference, and the winner of a $100,000 prize, is Alaska apparel brand SWOOP.
$3.8M Grant to Clean Up Junk Cars in Unalaska
EPA grants $3.8 million to the City of Unalaska for cleanup of abandoned vehicles in the far-flung community.
Carlile Extends Service to Hawai’i by Absorbing Naniq Global Logistics
Seattle-based logistics conglomerate Saltchuk is folding Naniq Global Logistics into Carlile, giving the Alaska trucking company a beachhead in Hawai’i for the first time.
Also in this issue: building a company and planning an exit strategy; several ESOPs, and UAS’ foray into a new model for tuition. Enjoy!