Imprint Energy Takes Global Entrepreneurship Competition Prize at Biz Barcelona 2011

The 2011 Biz Barcelona Entrepreneurship Conference was held June 14-16 in Barcelona, Spain. The annual conference was started three years ago with the goal of promoting entrepreneurship in Spain and throughout the world.

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Imprint Energy, a UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition Energy Track and People’s Choice Award Winner that is developing a printed battery technology, was invited to participate in the Global Entrepreneurship Competition (GEC), a business plan competition for early stage companies and the marquis event at the Conference. Brooks Kincaid, a 2011 Haas MBA graduate and co-founder of Imprint Energy, represented the United States and competed against entrants from 25 other countries, including Thailand, Estonia, South Africa, Japan, and Peru. According to Brooks, “The diversity of people and ideas was exciting and the entrepreneurs’ talent and creativity was truly impressive!”

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Brooks Kincaid and Dr. Christine Ho of Imprint Energy are flanked by well-wishers after their win at the 2011 UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition

GEC competitors were each given three minutes to pitch their businesses to judges and the general public audience. The judging panel was comprised of venture capitalists, angel investors, industry representatives, and entrepreneurship instructors from around the world, including Randy Komisar from Kleiner Perkins, Anu Nigam from Sand Hill Angels, Alexandre Massart from VISA, and Bill Magill from INSEAD GAIN. Brooks gave a winning pitch and Imprint Energy took home First Prize, receiving an award of 20,000 Euros. A 10,000 Euro second prize was awarded to DeepScan, a medical device company from Thailand addressing cancer detection, and a third prize of 5,000 Euros was awarded to Microwave Chemical Corporation, a chemical processing company from Japan utilizing microwave technology.

The Completion was chaired by our own Jerry Engel, Founding Executive Director of the Lester Center. Jerry got involved over three years ago as an advisor to the City of Barcelona, in helping them develop programs to encourage entrepreneurship and engage Barcelona in the global network of innovation clusters. GEC has been the centerpiece of that strategy. “The competition was really tough. All the teams were already champions in their local settings. Brooks did a great job presenting Imprint, but in the end it was the product itself – the printable rechargeable battery – that fascinated the judges.”

Before and after the Competition, startups, judges, event organizers, and other VIPs were treated to lunches and cocktail parties where they had the opportunity to network and discuss their experiences in entrepreneurship. For Brooks and Imprint Energy, these networking events led to discussions about potential business development and investment opportunities. They also led to offers from various attendees to help open doors in their respective countries for Imprint Energy. Brooks said, “If I could go back every year, I would! The connections I made this week were far better than I even could have imagined. When you combine a large group of smart people, a beautiful city with an entrepreneurial vibe, and a few cervezas (Spanish for beer), you know good things are going to happen.”

Congratulations from everyone at the Lester Center for this great honor. Imprint Energy continues to make their mark in this space and we know that only great things lie ahead.

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