WonderWe Participates in Notre Dame Business Plan Competition
WonderWe has strong ties to the University of Notre Dame – the feature-rich crowdfunding platform was founded by alumnus Dominic Ismert, and the values of the University of community outreach and support of charitable causes run deep in the startup company. For this reason, the McCloskey Business Plan Competition, hosted by the Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business’s Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship, was the perfect opportunity for WonderWe to work with students at the university and debut their business plan. The McCloskey Competition is an annual competition for Notre Dame affiliates to present business plans and compete for prizes, as well as network and meet other like-minded entrepreneurs. A unique aspect of this competition – now in its 16th year — is the requirement of the presence of a “Notre Dame Force for Good” in the plans. “Will you be a force for good in the world if the startup is successful?” is the challenge that is presented to entrants.
WonderWe’s revolutionary crowdfunding platform aims to be exactly that “force for good” in the world, making free fundraising possible for individuals and organizations to raise money for meaningful causes. An emphasis on alignment with Christian values – the same values that make Notre Dame such a rare university — differentiates WonderWe from other crowdfunding platforms. Campaigns or organizations that may not necessarily line up with the secular norms, such as supporting pro-life causes, are often shunned on traditional crowdfunding websites – WonderWe aims to provide a venue for those causes to thrive.
Six student interns assisted in the drafting of a business plan and its presentation over a 6-month period to reach the finals of the McCloskey Competition, held in mid-April at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. WonderWe was one of 124 teams to enter the business plan in the fall of 2015, and they placed in the top 20, advancing to the semifinal round. Not only was this competition an amazing chance for WonderWe to engage with entrepreneurial-minded members of the Notre Dame community and foster new business development, it also provided the opportunity for student interns to be involved in a new start up. “It was a really valuable experience because working on the business plan gave us insight into the goals of a startup company – and we had input in shaping those goals through our work,” said Kaitey Dages, one of the student interns. The students were able to feed into the process in the months leading up to the competition, gaining beneficial real-world experience in the workings of a young, growing company.
The passionate students at Notre Dame who helped WonderWe advance to the top 20 in the competition are just the beginning of what promises to be an exciting and innovative Ambassador program in universities across the country. Enthusiastic and hard-working students who are excited about the opportunity to experience working with a growing tech company and advance the values of this company are encouraged to sign up to become WonderWe Ambassadors. Join today at wonderwe.com/ambassadors.
