As Big Data continues to make headlines in the business world, perhaps it's no surprise that a duo hoping to capitalize on the trend took home top honors at the 2012 Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition (VLIC) finals Feb. 15.

Jayakumar and Garel celebrate their win. Photo by Thao Nguyen.Class of 2012 Texas Executive MBA students Harish Jayakumar and Michael Garel's business plan for their company, eyeQ, beat out 15 other teams. The win earns them a spot in the Global VLIC, held May 2-5 on the UT campus.

"eyeQ provides retailers the ability to monitor consumer purchasing behavior, generate retail business intelligence, and influence consumer purchasing at the shelf," explains the team's bio. "Our solution utilizes algorithms based on video analytics to create consumer data for the retailer and provide the customer with a content rich buying experience."   

VLIC simulates the process of raising venture capital. Judges function as an investment group seeking to reach consensus on the business venture they would most likely fund. The judges base their decision on the quality of the idea, the strength of the management team, and the clarity and persuasiveness of the written plan and oral presentation.

Judges for the finals were Texas VLIC alumni who have gone on to pursue their ventures after graduation: Jeff Harbach, Central Texas Angel Network; Hassan Johnson, ThaTrunk; Sangram Kadam, Ordoro; Aaron Lyons, Urban Dish; Jay Manickam, uShip; Brett Newswanger, Xeris Pharmaceuticals; and Robert Reeves, Austin Technology Incubator.