March 20, 1998 Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 EUGENE--An entrepreneurial company from Georgia walked away with first place and a $10,000 cash award at the seventh annual New Venture Competition at the University of Oregon. The company, MedDynamics, plans to provide products to the health-care industry designed to reduce the cost of care. Their initial product, the Coulter Sterile Shield, reduces the risk of urinary tract infections that are catheter related. A student team from the Oregon Graduate Institute won the $1,000 third-place prize for their plan to develop and market a portable, efficient and cost-effective home hemodialysis system. The Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship at the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business sponsored the competition, held March 12-14 on the UO campus. Ten student teams from nine states competed in the finals for $15,500 in prizes provided by Bank of America; Motorola New Enterprises, The Edward Lowe Foundation, Palo Alto Software and Breeze Technologies, Inc. Since the New Venture Competition began in 1991, the Lundquist Center event has launched more than 13 new companies including a manufacturer of upscale baby bags, a computer security company and a fast-food restaurant that specializes in health food. Five of the 10 teams which competed last year went on to open successful businesses. This year a plan to market the Amazze, an educational and recreational product targeted at pre-school and elementary school children, won the $2,500 second-place plan. The University of Texas at Austin team won the $500 fourth-place prize, the team from the University of Arizona won $1,000 for the best written plan, and students from Case Western Reserve University won $1,000 for the best presentation. 1998 University of Oregon New Venture Competition First Prize University of Georgia: MedDynamics Adviser: Charles Hofer, (707) 542-1294 Second Prize Pennsylvania State University: Kids-R-Amazed, Inc. Adviser David Wilson, (814) 865-2219 Third Prize Oregon Graduate Institute: MW2 Adviser: Alvin Tong, (503) 690-1537 Fourth Prize University of Texas at Austin: Isochron Data, LLC Adviser: Gary Cadenhead, (512) 471-5289 Best Written Plan University of Arizona: CelTech Adviser: Allen Atkins, (520) 626-4031 Best Presentation Case Western Reserve University: Heartcare, Inc. Adviser: Robert Hisrich, (216) 368-5354 Other Competitors Loyola Marymount University : Telefinder Privacy ID Adviser: Fred Kiesner (310) 338-4569 San Diego State University: Get Out Publications Adviser: Alex DeNoble, (618) 594-4890 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: CPTech Adviser: Paul Magelli, (217) 244-3407 University of Montana: Safe Shop Tools Adviser: Paul Larson, (406) 243-6840 -30- #P-6081/Local,OrDailies,PDX,OrD/Bus,Or/Bus