University of North Carolina Wilmington named Robert Baratta the winner of the school’s ninth annual business plan competition this past semester.
 
Forty seniors in the entrepreneurship and business development program at the Cameron School of Business entered the competition, according to a news release. Entrants developed comprehensive business plans, of which four finalists were selected to present in the competition.
 
The competition is meant to instill the skills necessary to identify and capitalize business opportunity, the release stated. Past winners and finalists have gone on to start their own ventures, work in business development and join business incubators.
 
Baratta received a $1,500 cash prize for winning, and finalists received $1,100. The judges for the competition were experienced entrepreneurs, the release stated.
 
“Students are asked to do extensive research and take their work to the next level by developing plans that can be operationalized,” Stephen Harper, a professor at the business school, said in the release. “This is a unique opportunity that showcases our students’ mental dexterity to veteran entrepreneurs who served as judges.”