Kristen Holtan
  • Marketing
  • Class of 2020
  • Greenville, Wis.

Kristen Holtan triumphs in Warhawk Business Plan Competition

2017 Apr 18

Kristen Holtan, a marketing major from Greenville, Wis., was one of three winners in the annual UW-Whitewater Warhawk Business Plan Competition on April 5.

Holtan won first-place with LED EZ, which features customizable LED lighting kits that introduce safety, style and social benefits to longboarding and snowboarding.

This exciting "Shark Tank"-style event was started by the UW-Whitewater Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization in 2007 to encourage student entrepreneurs to turn their inspiration into businesses. Six students battle for the top three spots and cash awards to support their startups.

Professor of Management and CEO Adviser William Dougan explains, "We modeled the competition after the Governor's Business Plan Contest. The UW-Whitewater version includes three stages: idea statement, business plan and video, and pitch. This format ensures that students have a fundamentally solid business plan and are prepared to explain their startup idea to prospective employees, investors and customers."

UW-Whitewater CEO's mission is to inform, support and inspire college students to be entrepreneurial and to seek opportunity through enterprise creation.