School of Business News
A multidisciplinary team of students from the School of Business and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology proudly represented the university at the Leadership Needed Foundation’s 2026 Annual HBCU Entrepreneurship and Innovation Business Plan Competition held on April 16–19, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. Competing against 30 plus HBCU teams from across the country, the students demonstrated exceptional innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurial excellence.
The competition provided students with valuable opportunities to strengthen their entrepreneurial, presentation, and networking skills by developing a full business plan and delivering a competitive business pitch. In addition, they engaged with peers, faculty, industry leaders, and successful entrepreneurs, gaining meaningful exposure to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and professional development opportunities.
The team presented their business concept, ZeroTrace, an emerging cybersecurity venture focused on closing the growing “security gap” for individual consumers and small businesses, markets often underserved by traditional enterprise-focused cybersecurity firms. Their flagship product, ZeroGuardPro, is a user-friendly, prevention-first cybersecurity platform designed to help users identify, isolate, and prevent digital fraud before becoming victims. Through predictive learning, built-in attack simulation, and an innovative scam-ID hub, ZeroGuardPro aims to transform cybersecurity from a reactive process into a proactive defense system.
The participating students included Corey Ashley (Business Marketing), Marie Jah (Business Finance), Demitrus Purnell (Business Accounting & Finance), Jomar Supreme (Computer Science), and Jasmaine Watson (Computer Science & Cyber Security). This multidisciplinary collaboration highlighted the university’s commitment to cross-college innovation and student success. The team was academically co-advised by Dr. Sidika Nihal Colakoglu and Ms. Josephine Stanley-Brown from the School of Business. The NSU Innovation Center and Dr. Acheamponmaa provided invaluable advise and resources to further develop students' plan and pitch for the competition. They were also supported by Dean Dr. Bebonchu Atems, whose attendance reinforced the university’s dedication to student innovation, entrepreneurship, and experiential learning.
This event reflects the School’s continued investment in preparing students to become future business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs who can create meaningful solutions to real-world challenges.
Mr. Larry Epplein joins his fellow faculty as this week’s #NSUFacultyFriday!
Mr. Epplein is a professor in the School of Business, teaching Tourism and Hospitality Management. 🔰
Mr. Epplein was recently featured as an expert guest on the Virginia Humanities radio program With Good Reason. The episode, titled “Jackpot!”, focused on gambling 🎰. During the broadcast, he also highlighted the proposed six-course minor/certificate in Gaming Management. Both the full episode and his segment, “College to Casino,” are available online.
✨ While on the show, Mr. Epplein introduced and recognized our new Introduction to Gaming Management course—Virginia’s first casino management class, for which he also serves as program advisor.
Spring 2026 Semester's Faculty Research Seminar