Merrill Mason and Andrew Fisher Judge Second Round of the 14th Annual Duke Start-Up Challenge

RALEIGH, N.C. – Merrill Mason and Andrew Fisher, lawyers in Smith Anderson’s Start-ups practice, served as judges for the second round of the 14th Annual Duke Start-up Challenge (DSC).  After judging the initial round where teams introduced their ideas for a new business venture, Merrill and Andrew again provided feedback to the 30 teams who progressed to the second round where they presented their business plans. Only seven teams will move on to the next round of the four-phased competition process.

The DSC is an entrepreneurship competition that runs the course of the academic year, from November to April. The competition includes four rounds: an Elevator Pitch Competition in November that includes idea summaries; an Executive Summary Competition in February; a Business Plan Competition in March; and the Grand Finale in April. At each phase of the challenge, several cash and in-kind prizes are awarded to participants. Teams also receive feedback at every phase by a panel of reputable judges, to help them progress to the next stages of the competition and beyond.