This February, three University of Oregon graduate students flew across the world to compete in the prestigious mai Bangkok Business Challenge at the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Charles B. Wilson, JD '15; Omar Ellis, MBA '15; and Paul Butler, JD/MBA '16, were there to represent Wilson and Ellis's startup Cricket Flours, an innovative line of protein powders made from milled crickets.

The team members presented their business plan, operational strategies, and environmental and sustainability reports to a panel of experienced judges and industry experts. The group agreed that the demanding curriculum and astute faculty insights provided through the Oregon MBA program and the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE) prepared them well for the competition.

The Cricket Flours team members believe that their experiences in Thailand will shape the way they do business in the future. Working with business advisors, judging panels, and mentors during the competition has helped the students grow their professional network and given them valuable tools to hone their business plan. In May the team will represent the University of Oregon at the University of Texas at Austin's Global Venture Labs Investment Competition, nicknamed the Super Bowl of Investment Competitions. Follow @cricketflours on Twitter to stay up to date.

At the same time—but on the other side of the world,—another Oregon MBA student team competed in a business competition in Louisville, Kentucky. LCE is proud to welcome back Team AirFit from the 2015 Brown Forman Cardinal Challenge at the University of Louisville College of Business. Team members Ty Manegold, MBA '15, and Cynthia Sandall, MBA '15, spent a week pitching their plan for a chain of airport-based fitness centers to a judging panel of successful entrepreneurs.

Test runs with employees, community members, and Oregon MBA alumni provided through LCE prior to the event helped Team AirFit prepare to compete against 11 other teams from schools around the world.

Manegold and Sandall came home with a better understanding of how to communicate business plans with those outside of the industry. The team's plan for improving its venture includes revamping the business plan and rebuilding their presentation. The Lundquist Center is optimistic for the future of Manegold and Sandall's venture and looks forward to seeing it grow and thrive. Manegold and Sandall will compete in the University of Oregon's renowned New Venture Championship in Portland, April 9-11.

Story written by Allen Hall Public Relations on behalf of the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship.