Robinson Student Wins $20,000 With Surgery Software in Competition
Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business Executive MBA student Berkley Baker, head of CIMI Solutions won $20,000 in Robinson’s Business Plan Competition.
Baker won the award for his CIMI Robotic Surgery Solution, a software that will increase the efficiency and improve the use of robots used in surgery. These surgical robots are already an expensive endeavor so, increasing efficiency is a vital concern. The robots cost $1.5 to $2.2 million to purchase and around $500,000 a year to operate.
“We’re very grateful for the opportunity,” Baker said. “It was a privilege to be selected as the winner of the event, and it was exciting to see all of the talent in the room.”
This year’s competition brought a record 41 teams to compete. They completed business plan presentations and questioning from business leaders serving as judges.
“[Robinson’s] Business Plan Competition has grown every year since it began in 2008,” said Buddy Ray, associate director of the Herman J. Russell Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship. “The number of teams or individuals competing, the prize money and the in-kind service prizes all increased by about 30 percent.
“But most important, the quality of the student plans increased again this year. This has become an impressive competition.”
The second-place winner, Justin McLeod, brought home $10,000 for his event promotion and planning app: Event Tent. His team was rounded out by senior computer science major Duvall Smith and junior graphics design major Christopher Davis.
