Several Aquinas College business students recently teamed up and excelled at the MWest Challenge, West Michigan’s regional business plan competition. More than $12,000 in prize money was awarded to college teams that entered the competition and developed new ventures based on their own ideas. Aquinas College was well-represented in the final standings of the April event, with three separate teams winning award money for their ideas and execution in this student venture competition, including the overall contest winner.
A total of 140 college teams entered this year’s challenge, including other teams from Calvin University, Cornerstone University, Davenport University, Ferris State University, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, Hope College, Kendall College of Art and Design, and Kuyper College.
In the end, Aquinas College stood tall among its West Michigan counterparts by sweeping the three main categories. It is the first time at the MWest Challenge that one college took first place in all three flights.
"Competitive events, such as the MWest Challenge, help our Aquinas College students improve and polish their skills so they are better able to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive marketplace," said adjunct professor Felix Pereiro. "They learn for themselves what entrepreneurs go through during the early startup stage and the hard work that goes into creating an outstanding executive summary, presentation, and idea pitch."
Competing students had access to resources, mentors, educational workshops, and opportunities to network with angel and venture capital investors. The competition began with a three-page executive summary of the business idea from each team. All summaries were judged by three judges, with the average of the scores being used to rank each team, with the top teams qualifying for the ‘finals’ or the ‘showcase.’
Because of a tie, nine teams qualified for the finals, which included a five-minute live pitch to experienced entrepreneurial business leaders from the community, held at Grand Rapids Community College. The next 24 teams in the rankings were split into ‘Showcase A’ and ‘Showcase B’ (with no distinction between the two). These pitches were conducted online and judged by a different group of business leaders with entrepreneurial experience.

The first place winner of ‘Showcase A’ was the team of Caleb Koster, Ryan Mulder, Samantha Teachworth, and Jean Tissot


A trio of AQ students - Ella Goodman, Regina Mondro, and Joanna Quintino
“Aquinas College students come from a community of immeasurable strength and capacity to excel,” Pereiro explained. “Higher education is about providing the right environment to help people flourish and obtain their greatest God-given potential. One way we provide this is by providing an environment that is intentional in its dedication and commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, where all voices are heard and respected. We provide an atmosphere of expectancy, which is the breeding ground for miracles for each and every student walking through the doors of Aquinas College. We help make this world better one student at a time!”
Thanks to Mark O’Toole and Bill Foley for providing information for this story.