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Team from Goethe Gymnasium Frankfurt wins first prize in business plan competition.

American-German Business Club Frankfurt awards prizes in “Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow” educational program to students from Frankfurt’s bilingual Goethe-Gymnasium, St. Angela-Schule in Königstein and Frankfurt International School in Oberursel.

FRANKFURT am Main, 10 February 2010 – Two students from Goethe-Gymnasium in Frankfurt am Main won the first prize in the “Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow” (EOT) program run by the American-German Business Club Frankfurt. Wen Xia Zhang and Merhawit Weldgegeorgis were awarded 1 000 Euro for their business plan for “Exclusive Travel International (ETI)", an exclusive in-coming tourist office aimed at the 5-star tourists from China and the Middle East coming to Frankfurt.

The business plan for "LIM-speisen", a diet restaurant featuring home-cooked meals, presented by Nina Heyse and Stefanie Brunner of St. Angela-Schule in Königstein, was ranked second and awarded 500 Euro.

Caterina Schindler and Stela Tamnichka, both students at Frankfurt International School in Oberursel, were awarded a special third prize and 250 Euro for their business plan for "CST GmbH", a medical marketing company with a medical data collection network.

The prizes were handed over by U.S.-Consul General Edward M. Alford during an award ceremony at Goethe Business School at Frankfurt University’s House of Finance.

Sabine Weinheimer-Hoepermans, Director of Corporate Relations at Goethe Business School, and one of the jurors and mentors of the “Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow” program said: The business plans presented by the winning teams have great potential. We would be happy to help participants in the program to refine their plans and put them into practice. We are supporting this business plan competition because it helps to bridge the gap between what students learn in the classroom and the ‘real world’ of business.”

David Knower, president of Frankfurt chapter of the American-German Business Club, said: "This has been a win-win competition for everyone, both the students and our business executive mentors. They learn about today's business world, and we get to reach out to the next generation of students in Germany, demonstrating to them the benefits of being an entrepreneur."

The winning teams were selected from the 14 business plans completed by the 29 finalists entered in this six-month competition. Since last September, about 60 students from schools in greater Frankfurt area started meeting monthly with business people to learn how to write their own business plan. Everything was taught and completed in real-world business English.

Supporters of the “Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow” were Goethe Business School, a specialized unit of Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main directed towards the professional and personal development of managers, the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt, Frankfurt Marriott Hotel, Coca-Cola and Bagel Brothers.

About the American-German Business Club:
The American-German Business Club has 10 chapters across Germany, from Hamburg to Munich. The AGBC Frankfurt, with about 270 members, is the largest chapter. It holds monthly meetings featuring top business speakers, with all its activities conducted in English. It is open to every international businessperson who supports its goals of free trade and open discussion, while serving the local community. See www.agbc.de for more details.

Final Mentor Meeting

Dear EoT participants, dear Mentors,

The AGBC EoT Team wishes you all the best for a happy, healthy and successful New Year!

Please keep in mind that a final Mentor Meeting is scheduled for Friday, January 15, 2010 starting at 6:00 p.m. at the

Goethe Business School
House of Finance
DZ Bank room (on the ground floor) .

As usual, please let us know in advance whether you will join us. By that time, you should have written up a basic Business Plan, so make sure to bring it along for review by the mentors, and benefit from their advice and expertise!!

Remember that Submission deadline for your completed Business Plans is January 29, 2010. After that date, the Jury will evaluate all Business Plans and select the most promising projects.

Looking forward to seeing all of you on January 15,

The EoT Team
AGBC Frankfurt

May 28, 2008

U.S. Consulate Munich Blog

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The U.S. Consul General for Bavaria, Eric G. Nelson, spoke at the Munich finale of Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow. This photo from the Consul General's blog shows AGBC Head of Education, Dr. Marlena Corcoran, and Consul General Nelson presenting a thousand-euro check to Merlin M. Greuel of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, who won first prize in Munich with his project, "t-immune, Inc.: Immunotherapy of Cancer."