3rd Annual John & Mary Pappajohn Business Plan Competition Award Ceremony

 
On Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Bissell Library of ACT- American College of Thessaloniki the Awards Ceremony of the winners and finalists of the 3rd Business Plan Competition «John and Mary Pappajohn Business Plan Awards» took place, organized by Anatolia School of Business of ACT. In this year's competition 139 ideas were submitted, among which the five winning teams were emerged. The winners were awarded five prizes amounting to 4,000 euros each which were given by the Greek origin businessman John Pappajohn.
 
The teams that were awarded are:
 
The S.A.R.M Project:  The team developed a new type of concentric rotary internal combustion engine, called SARM, smaller in size and weight compared to the modern commercial engines and with less consumption – because its exhausts contain up to 80% less NOx. The almost zero vibration levels ensure smooth operation in applications such as exoskeletons and drones.
 
e-troufa:  A special category of mushrooms, the truffle, is the entrepreneurship interest of the team which is already commercially active in the Greek market. The aim of the team is to bring to the world the Greek truffle as a famous domestic brand, promote its cultivation, produce truffle products and expand sales mainly abroad.
 
Best Back Seat:  The Best Back Seat is an augmented reality application that creates a panoramic view with the help of six camera system.  Later the view is upgraded, with the inclusion of information about the surrounding area. In this panorama, vehicle passengers can be navigated with the help of virtual reality glasses enjoying the unobstructed view of the route and taking information about their place of transit.
 
Turnand:  The first product of the Greek manufacturer of intelligent peripheral products for mobile devices is an innovative case which allows the conversion of a smartphone mobile into a game console, an idea which was born by the founders of the company while playing with an old GameBoy. The goal of the company is to enter the American market through the crowd funding platform.
 
Recording, digitization and management of water networks and sewerage: The business idea is to list the installed underground utility networks of Greece, through advanced surveying methods (GPR) which sweep the subsoil via electromagnetic waves. Then the digitization and display of such networks is done on the bases of Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.).  The integrated view of the location and information of the water networks makes easier its management, maintenance and operation.