NAWBO-CJ Business Plan Competition Winner Chosen

 Kimberly Lynch, co-owner of LaproClean, is awarded $15,000 prize package.

On Sep 1, 2014

From among 40 women entrepreneurs across New Jersey, a medical student emerged as winner of the Supporting Emerging Entrepreneurs Development (SEED) business plan competition. It is sponsored by the Central Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Kimberly Lynch, co-owner of a Piscataway startup and first-year student in the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, won the sixth annual SEED competition on May 20th at Rutgers. Her $15,000 prize package includes promotional material, local magazine ads and support from an accountant, website designer and wardrobe consultant.

This year’s competition was held in partnership with Rutgers’ Office of New Ventures and Entrepreneurship. Forty businesses entered the competition, which was an increase of about 70 percent from prior years, attributed to Rutgers’ marketing assistance. Applicants came from nine New Jersey counties and included startups in business services, education, food and health/wellness.

Lynch, 22, of Waldwick, is co-owner of LaparoClean. Her company is developing a device that allows a surgeon to clean a laparoscope during a procedure without having to withdraw it from the patient’s body. That reduces time, cost and potential for infection.

Nearly 100 attendees, including a panel of judges, viewed the three-minute presentations by Lynch and the other four finalists. The others were: Amanda Gonzalez-Burton, Little Miss Mrs LLC of Union City; Tina Bologna, Just Jersey LLC of Morristown; Marisa Teiner, Feel Better Pops LLC of Vernon; and Kelley Higgins-Nelson, Yes to Access! of Butler.

Focused on emerging women entrepreneurs, the competition was created to encourage the formation of strong businesses, share knowledge of experienced entrepreneurs and support women in the realization of their entrepreneurial dreams.

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