Two student teams from CSUSB’s School of Entrepreneurship brought home first- and third-place awards after they competed in the CSU Sunstone Startup Competition held at CSU Dominguez Hills.

The competition, which took place on May 3, aims to foster and recognize the entrepreneurial spirit within the California State University system, and featured participants from 23 campuses vying for a share of $200,000 in prizes. Last year, CSUSB student teams clinched first place, bringing home $50,000.

This year, the School of Entrepreneurship celebrated the achievements of two teams who competed and placed in their respective categories.

Future Wealthy Minorities secured first place in the Startup Showcase for Social Entrepreneurship, winning $6,000. The team members included Tatiana Jackson, the lead entrepreneur, who is pursuing a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship & Innovation (MSEI). She was joined by Jacqueline Jones, also an MSEI student, and Oscar Flores Gonzalez, an undergraduate who is majoring in administration with a focus on entrepreneurship at CSUSB’s Palm Desert Campus.

Modular Market, a student team from CSUSB’s School of Entrepreneurship, earned third place in the Startup Showcase for Business Model at the CSU Sunstone Startup Competition.
Modular Market, a student team from CSUSB’s School of Entrepreneurship, earned third place in the Startup Showcase for Business Model at the CSU Sunstone Startup Competition.

The second team, Modular Market, earned third place in the Startup Showcase for Business Model, taking home $1,000. The team was led by Miranda Lee, an MSEI student, and included Melisa Laci, also pursuing an MSEI. Juan Sibrian, an undergraduate majoring in administration with a specialization in information systems and technology at PDC, was part of the team, along with Ed Timmons, a 2023 MSEI alumnus, and Karim Algabarty, another MSEI student.

The teams were mentored by faculty from the School of Entrepreneurship. Ezekiel Bonillas, lead mentor and assistant professor of entrepreneurship, accompanied the students to the competition, along with fellow entrepreneurship faculty members, Peiyi Jia and RK Reddy.