Morgan State University Students Prevail In E-Business Competition - Uche Ukeje, Detola Laditan, Alvin Sheriff - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, May 24, 2001 by Ronald Roach

A team of three students from Morgan State University took first-place honors and a $150,000 prize in an e-business plan competition at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta last month. The competition marked the inauguration of the OFC Venture Challenge, an event sponsored by Clark Atlanta and the Opportunity Funding Corp.

The Opportunity Funding Corp., a not-for-profit organization, facilitates minority entrepreneurship through investment capital.

In a field of eight teams, the Morgan State trio won the competition for a business plan and presentation for a company to be known as e-Bevs.com. The team members are Uche Ukeje, Detola Laditan and Alvin Sheriff.

Ukeje has described e-Bevs.com as "an online business-to-business marketplace and software company for independent producers and small- to medium-size suppliers of equipment and ingredients in the beverage industry."

Dr. Ali Emdad, chairman of the Information Science and Systems Department at Morgan's Graves School of Business and Management, served as a chief adviser to the team. The Small Business Development Institute at the Graves School, Morgan alumni and local financial firm executives also provided guidance to the team.

The victory by the Morgan team qualified it to compete this month in the 2001 Moot Corp. Competition in Austin, Texas, according to officials.