The 4th annual Biola Startup Competition is in its final two weeks, with six teams just days away from the 15 minute Pitch Competition before a panel of esteemed judges. 

The Final Presentations (Pitch) and Awards Ceremony will be held on Friday, March 15th, 8 AM - 2 PM, Moats Auditorium in the Crowell School of Business. All are welcome to attend.  Lunch will be provided by our generous Sponsor Chick-fil-A, La Habra Marketplace.

The first place team will receive $15,000 and a $10,000 pro-bono legal package graciously provided by our Sponsor Brown & Streza LLP. The 2nd and 3rd place teams will receive $7,500 and $5,000 respectively.

Congratulations to Chaotic Peace, Glorious Gainz Fitness, ParaBrands, Pedal on Purpose, Sunny/75 and Titanium, our finalist teams. Background information on each Startup Competition coach is provided below. 

The Biola Startup Competition, hosted by Crowell School of Business, is a faith-based business competition designed to help Biola students and alumni launch innovative, kingdom-minded businesses and nonprofits that have the potential to significantly impact the world for Christ.  The competition is generously funded by friends of Biola and the Crowell School of Business — direct investment in Christ-centered young innovators.  To make a gift, please contact Robert.Harp@biola.edu.

FINALIST TEAMS AND COACHES

Chaotic Peace 
COACH: Anton Yergat, Founder and President, Ayre Inc., and Founder, Gather and Care Ministries
Anton Yergat is the founder and president of Ayre Inc., a commercial real estate development, management, and marketing company, started up in 1979, in Alexandria Virginia.  Anton also founded Gather and Care Ministries, http://gatherandcare.com/, in 2003.  Presently, he is a Biola MBA Mentor, a coach and an advisor to entrepreneurial individuals who desire to excel in serving Kingdom Building Opportunities. He is a member of The Barnabas Group in Orange County CA.  Anton and his wife currently reside in Newport Beach, with daughters Emma and Christina at Biola University and Karl at Cavalry Chapel High School, Costa Mesa. 

Glorious Gainz Fitness
COACH: Bob Zalk, Retired Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, & Adjunct Professor, Biola University
Bob Zalk, Retired Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, & Adjunct Professor, Biola University, is a 35-year veteran executive of Walt Disney Imagineering,  Before retiring in late 2016, Bob was Imagineering's  Executive Producer for new creative projects at Anaheim Disneyland (2014-2016), Hong Kong Disneyland (2012-14) and Disney Cruise Lines (2009-2014). In addition to producing unique Disney projects like themed attractions, hotels, cruise ships, museum galleries, interactive games, and restaurants, Bob was also involved in a Disney start-up business "Adventures by Disney",  which is now a successful option for families seeking a family-friendly guided tour vacation experience around the globe.  Bob is a Biola MBA Mentor.

ParaBrands
COACH: Sarah Y. Tse, CEO, TSE Worldwide Press, Inc.
Sarah Y. Tse is the CEO of TSE Worldwide Press, Inc. (Parent Company). Founded in May 2004, TSE began operations in November 2004, specializing in the manufacturing of customized coffee-table style books and packaging. As CEO, Sarah assists self-publishers and new authors from start to finish and helps them fulfill their dreams to publish their new titles.  Continuing to expand her corporation, Sarah founded United Yearbook Printing Services in January 2008 with the resources, expertise, and networking of TSE Worldwide Press. UYP provides yearbook publishing solutions and cost-savings to public and private schools, universities, government agencies, and yearbook re-sellers (wholesalers).  Sarah received a Masters of Business Administration degree from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in December 2002, with an emphasis in Marketing and International Business. Sarah ('93) also holds a Bachelors of Arts degree with an emphasis in graphics design from Biola University. Sarah is an MBA Mentor at Biola's Crowell School of Business.

Pedal On Purpose
COACH: Barry Watkins, President/Founder, Watkins Commercial Properties
Barry Watkins is President/Founder of Watkins Commercial Properties and is a Biola MBA Mentor.  Barry is a specialist in the commercial real estate retail industry and is also an inventor.  He and Michele (also a Biola MBA Mentor) have a heart for Jesus, Biola students — and social impact. 

Sunny/75
COACH: John Russell, Co-Founder, Webconnex
John Russell is the Co-Founder of Webconnex, which makes event and fundraising software used by over 40,000 organizations. To date, Webconnex software has been used to process nearly $2B in payments and currently processes over $2M per day. John is a life-long entrepreneur with expertise in marketing and sales strategy. He thrives on the fast-paced world of bootstrapped startups. Prior to Webconnex, he founded several other successful companies, including Action Media which was sold to Apprise Media in 2006. John works remotely from a home office in Newport Beach, CA, where you’ll find him in boardshorts and a T-shirt until well after lunch. John is a part of the Praxis network.

Titanium
COACH: Mark Strom, (’84) Retired PwC Partner and US Management Consulting Leader, Biola MBA Mentor
Mark Strom has a B.S. in Business Administration from Biola University (1984) and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (1990).  After graduating from Biola, he worked in Operations at McDonnell Douglas.  After his Stanford MBA, he joined PRTM, an operational strategy consulting firm, where he served technology-based clients (electronics, software, telecom, life sciences), helping them grow revenue and improve profitability.  Mark became a PRTM partner in 1996 and ultimately Americas Managing Director just prior to PRTM’s acquisition by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2011.  As a PwC Advisory Partner, Mark led the Global Operations practice and Management Consulting in the US.  He retired from PwC in June 2018.  Mark lives in Brea, California with his wife, Andrea, and three children.  Two children are Biola graduates (Melissa and Megan), and Andrew is currently a Biola Accounting major.