Two UW-Bothell students win $20,000 in cash and prizes with valenki-boots business plan

Entrepreneurs Polina Semeykina and Lyamen Savy won first place, and $20,000 in cash and prizes, in The Entrepreneurship Center (TEC) second annual Business Plan Competition. Both are seniors attending the University of Washington, Bothell School of Business.

Semeykina and Savy won the competition with their business plan for valenki boots, a decorative boot line that is stylishly on-trend, comfortable and affordable. Semeykina and Savy are working with Russian manufacturers to design and sell into the U.S. market these traditional valenki-style boots.

Semeykina and Savy competed against 35 student teams who submitted comprehensive business plans. The competition included several rounds of judging. The competition’s final round provided four remaining teams the opportunity to present their plans to a panel of Washington CEOs and entrepreneurs who served as judges.

Barry Weisband, TEC director, said the competition highlights the center’s core mission, which is to build the economy by developing businesses and talented entrepreneurs.

“The competition is more than academic — it’s practical,” Weisband says. “We provide the professional assistance for students to actually launch their new businesses. All four of the finalists plan on starting their new companies. Also, many of the semi-finalists will launch companies, as well. In many ways, TEC supports the economic growth and job creation for the Puget Sound area by providing significant resources to our students so that they can be highly successful entrepreneurs.”

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