Student Team, NP Solutions, from The Wharton School/University of Pennsylvania, preside over the closing bell.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007
from Nasdaq MarketSite
in New York's Times Square

The Wharton School/University of Pennsylvania

Student team NP Solutions, which has developed a polymer based injectable hydrogel treatment for back pain related to degenerative disc disease that is less invasive, more effective with fewer side effects than current approaches, won the $20,000 grand prize of the 2007 Wharton Business Plan Competition (http://bpc.wharton.upenn.edu). The prize was awarded at the Wharton School's annual Venture Finals April 24, 2007 where student finalists received a total of $70,000 in combined cash prizes, access to capital and in-kind legal/accounting services.

The Wharton Business Plan Competition (WBPC) is not just about ideas. The WBPC is a comprehensive, 7-month platform to help entrepreneurs and their teams launch their new business ideas. The WBPC is structured in three phases to help teams develop their plans in both a collaborative and competitive environment. The WBPC’s entrepreneurship workshops feature entrepreneurship experts including Wharton entrepreneurship professors and Wharton graduates who have started their own businesses. The WBPC provides a network for brainstorming, feedback, and future business opportunities. Participating teams develop their ideas with the guidance from top business leaders who serve as mentors and judges. Finally, the top three finalists receive national press attention and share $70,000 in cash and prizes to jumpstart their businesses.

The WBPC is among the leading global university-run business plan competitions. The WBPC was launched in 1998 by the Wharton Entrepreneurship Club and is now part of Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs, which co-manages the event with a specially selected student committee. The WBPC is open to all students at the University of Pennsylvania and, since its inception, has drawn over 150 student teams annually, comprising nearly 400 participants from Schools across the University of Pennsylvania.

Reprints

Click for larger pictures of the NASDAQ MarketSite. Additional Photographs for 07/18/2007 Download Hi-Res Quality Photo of this NASDAQ Market Open - Pictured: Emily Cieri, Managing Director of the Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs and Student Team, NP Solutions, from The Wharton School/University of Pennsylvania, preside over the closing bell. Organizations interested in obtaining NASDAQ-listed company bell ringing ceremony photographs for press purposes, must first receive approval from the listed company before requesting photographs from NASDAQ. Please provide the company contact information from whom you received approval to Jolene Libretto at Jolene.Libretto@nasdaq.com. Kindly credit © 2007, The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. Reprinted with permission. © Copyright 2007, The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.