“Sodium Energy” Wins 2012 MIT CHIEF Pitch to China Business Plan Contest

By David Li, bostonese.com

Cambridge, Mass. — In the afternoon of Nov. 18, 2012, the Winner of 2012 MIT CHIEF Business Plan contest was announce at the MIT China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (CHIEF) at Stata Center in MIT. “Sodium Energy”, a clean energy project by MIT students Kai Xiang Zheng Li, won the first place award, and the $10,000 grand prize.


According to MIT CHIEF’s website, over 160 business plans, covering tracks from Clean Technology, Healthcare, Mobile/IT, Web to Products/Services, have been received from July 1, 2012. Six of them made it into the finalists and presented their plans at the 2012 MIT CHIEF annual conference.

The following projects are finalists for 2012:

Track: Clean Technology Luon Energy Track: Healthcare Around-Sensing Track: Mobile/IT Bank2good Track: Web TwiThinks Track: Products/Services Novarials Corporation Wild Card Winners Sodium Energy, SlideIdea

The list of judges for this year's MIT CHIEF Patch to China business plan contest include thought leaders in Entrepreneurship research and successful entrepreneurs from US, China and around the world. William Aulet Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management Managing Director, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship Calvin Chin Co-founder and CEO, Transist Impact Labs Jack Jia Advisor, GSR Ventures Michael Jin Managing Partner, TEEC Angel Fund Wei Li Principal, Fidelity Biosciences Xiaojun Li Partner, IDG Capital Partners Roy Luo Special Assistant to the Chief, United Nations Industrial Development Organization Qing Miao Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Leadership, Zhejiang University Visiting Scholar, MIT Sloan School of Management

Fiona Murray Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management Faculty Director, MIT Entrepreneurship Center Mary Nan Founder and CEO, Entrepreneur China Magazine Daniel Olszewski Director, Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship Frank Pan, Director of Risk Management, China Merchants Technology Holding Co., Ltd. Elizabeth Riley Adjunct Professor, Babson and Olin College of Engineering President and Co-Founder, Mazza and Riley, Inc.

Edward Roberts David Sarnoff Professor of Management Technology, MIT Sloan School of Management Founder/Chair, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship Graham Rong Senior Industrial Liaison Officer, MIT Office of Corporate Relations Alan Song Managing Partner, Softbank China Venture Capital Lihan Sun Senior Analyst, Fidelity Biosciences Stephen Tang President and CEO, University City Science Center, Philadelphia Yinxiang Wang Chief Scientist Officer, Zhejiang Beta Pharma, Inc. Yajun Xu Sr. Vice President, Shanghai ChemPartner Company Ltd. Xiaolu Yu Investment Analyst, Tsing Capital Yue Yuan Chairman, Horizon Research Consultancy Group Weijie Yun Senior Advisor, Northern Light Venture Capital 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year, Ernest and Young Haifei Zhang Investment Associate, ZhenFund Allen Zhu Partner, GSR Ventures Richard Zhu Associate, Tsing Capital