Business plan winner will help women in Kenya

It's all coming together for Stella Langat, a Skidmore junior from Kenya.

Two weeks ago, she took first place in the New York State Business Plan Regional Competition. On Friday night, she took the $20,000 top cash prize, plus $5,000 in legal services in the for-profit and artistic category of the Kenneth A. Freirich Business Plan Competition, held in Skidmore's Filene Recital Hall.

Langat is among 250 Skidmore students who have entered the competition since Freirich launched it in 2010 to encourage students to "follow their passions" with a transformational entrepreneurial experience. In five years, the competition has grown into one of the best-funded in the Northeast, offering $60,000 in prizes -- $52,500 in cash and $7,500 in legal and accounting services. Advised by Skidmore alumni who serve as mentors after participating in the semi-final round as judges, students have developed businesses and organizations with remarkable potential.

As the five judges who heard Langat's presentation learned, she is passionate about underwear – for good reason.

Most Kenyan women have insufficient incomes to buy new underwear, she told them. With even basic-quality new underwear priced out of their range, 90 percent of Kenyan women must resort to an illegal second-hand market where all tags on underwear have been removed. They can only guess at the sizes of the items they buy.

More serious are the health risks of wearing second-hand underwear. Langat's mother developed a debilitating rash six years ago that lingers despite every treatment that's been tried.

This had to change, Langat and three other Kenyan women decided, and so they embarked three years ago on founding Double Dee's as Kenya's first indigenous undergarment business. Showing the judges the first bra manufactured by Double Dee's in China, Langat proved they're ready to move into full production.

Langat's next step is to pitch Double Dee's for the $100,000 top prize in the final round of the New York State Business Plan Competition on April 24th. But no matter what the judges there decide, she knows her Freirich prize is enough to produce a first run of 480 bras, which several Kenyan companies already have agreed to sell in their stores.

Working with Langat on the Double Dee's launch are Chief Financial Officer Charity Migwi, who is currently doing graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania; Chief Operations Officer Millicent Njoroge, and Chief Marketing Officer Constance Tipis. Njoroge and Tipis graduated from a Kenyan university last year.

"My dreams are coming true," Langat says. "I can't wait to produce my own bras that I and other women can wear in the right sizes and colors."

Freirich relishes such stories. Financial aid made his Skidmore experience possible, and "this is my way of giving back," he says. A serial entrepreneur who is now president of Health Monitor Network, Freirich started his first business as a sophomore at Skidmore.

To commemorate its fifth anniversary, the competition broadened its scope this year to include social entrepreneurship as a distinct category with judges drawn chiefly from the non-profit sector. Taking the top $5000 social-entrepreneurship prize was Kengthsagn Louis '17, who presented a plan for a new non-profit called Syans Pou Anise Fondasyon (SPAF) that's committed to building science laboratories in Haitian schools.

"The presentations made in this final were the best we've seen in the five-year history of the competition," said Freirich, who contributed $26,500 toward prizes. "I'm amazed by the diversity of these student businesses and organizations and by the students' talent, passion and creativity. These students are going to change the world. They continue to inspire me."

"We have never seen a larger or stronger field of contestants," agreed Roy Rotheim, professor of economics and director of the competition. "All of these initiatives are quintessentially Skidmore in their creativity, global reach, and social consciousness." 

The other three winners in the social entrepreneurship category were:

• Klicka, which aims to build a network of “mobile enrichment centers” in decommissioned shipping containers in remote villages in South Africa, took the second-place price of $2500. Team members include Tshediso Mataka ’15, Derek Nunner ’15, Henry Fabre ’16, Felicia Mazibuko ’17, and Kwanele Tsabedze ’16.

• Seeds for Peace, which is committed to expanding the shipping of non-GMO seeds to people in need around the world, took a third place prize that Freirich decided to boost on the spot to increase $2,500. Team members include Ana Lordkipanidze ’15, Mustafa Chaudry ’14, Nghia Luu ’14, and Nino Tsintsadze ’14,

• Fund Knowledge, which aims to help young people in developing nations to gain entry to colleges and universities in the U.S., took a fourth place prize of $1,000. Team members include Shivam Goyal ’17 and James Rimmer ’15.

Prizes for second through fourth place In the for-profit and artistic categories were awarded as follows:

• Allstolen Apparel took the second prize of $10,000 with its plan to develop a new line of clothing that combines sportswear and high fashion. Team members include Elizabeth Worgan '16, David Florence '16, Catherine Headrick '17, and Samuel Barback '17;

• Medibloom took the third prize of $5000 with its plan to provide Canadian and international markets a non-psychoactive ingredient of marijuana called CBD that has been shown to be effective in treating epilepsy and schizophrenia. Team members include Adam Beek '15, Joshua Chacko '16, and Natalie Williams '15.
  
  
• Rum Dogs took the fourth prize of $2500 with its plan to develop its patent-pending technology for aging  rum and other alcoholic drinks in ocean-submerged containers, a method that has been shown to accelerate the process produce superior flavors. Rum Dogs founder Alexander Nassief '16 is being assisted on the project by Zach Rohde ’14.

Judges in the social entrepreneurship category included Freirich plus: 

• David Howson, professor of arts administration at Skidmore;
• Anita Paley, executive director of the Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council;
• Maureen Sager, executive director of the Nordlys Foundation
• Wendy Summer '73, executive director of the Zaanha and Zaanha Fund

Judges in the for-profit and artistic category included Freirich plus:

• Susan Magrino Dunning ’83, president, Susan Magrino Agency;
• Rich Wartel '91, founder, Two Labs Marketing;
• Chris Young '96, general partner, Revel Partners;
• Ceci Zak '87, chief operating officer, DAS Healthcare Group.

Other Skidmore alumni who contributed to this year's competition were Dan Allen '90, Rich Wartel '91, Jody Klein '85 and Kathryn L. Peper '78. Mike Schwab '90, with Abelman, Frayne and Schwab, a law firm based in New York City, contributed legal services. The Saratoga Springs-based accounting firm of Flynn, Walker, Diggin PC CPA, contributed accounting services.