Two WDI Summer Interns Win Competition
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Two WDI Global Impact summer interns recently won first place in a business plan competition sponsored by Wal-Mart.
Jeff LeBrun and Tony Gross, who are spending their summer in Mozambique as part of WDI’s Global Impact internships, took top honors in April in Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s first Better Living Business Plan Challenge which provides business students from around the world an opportunity to invent sustainable products or business solutions.
LeBrun and Gross, along with fellow students Mike Hartley, Amir Satvat, Josh Katz and Ali Moazed were awarded $20,000 for developing a biodiesel company that will produce a nonfood-based renewable fuel while supporting sustainable development in Africa. They beat out teams from seven other colleges and universities.
The judges said they selected the U-M submission because it addresses the growing need for renewable fuel sources and the social mission of economic development, in a way that is both profitable and sustainable.
LeBrun and Gross are in Mozambique this summer to take the next steps in developing their company, Mozergy. The company will develop and propagate jatropha crops in Mozambique and other developing countries. Jatropha is a sustainable, low-cost, high-yield plant that produces oil-rich seeds. These seeds can be extracted and refined to produce biodiesel. Because jatropha is not edible and can grow on marginal land, it is not expected to impact food production.
“We’re thrilled to seize the opportunity Wal-Mart has given us to provide a low-cost renewable energy source, create jobs in a developing country and be profitable,” said Jeff LeBrun. “Mozergy is a way to make globalization work for sustainability and expand the portfolio of energy options at the same time. Ideally this product and others like it can drive a transition toward low-carbon energy solutions that are both profitable and beneficial.”
In addition to WDI, the Mozergy team has received support from the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, the Zell / Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, and the Center for Sustainable Systems.
