UO students among finalists for Entrepreneur of 2014

Three UO students are among five finalists in the Entrepreneur of 2014 competition put on by Entrepreneur magazine.

The three are the brains behind Fourth Wall, a business concept that uses a software application to match actors to auditions. The idea was drawn up by computer science and math student Sahil Diwan with help from business major Anthony Rondinella and computer science student Cody Hatfield.

Fourth Wall is a finalist in the collegiate division of the contest. Other finalists are from Arizona State University, George Mason University, St. Johns University and the University of Pennsylvania.

The winner of the collegiate category will receive $5,000 in seed money to help launch the business. The winner is chosen in part based on voting by the business community.

“These young entrepreneurs are solving a variety of problems in extraordinary ways,” said Amy Cosper, vice president and editor in chief at Entrepreneur magazine. “Now that we’re down to the final five, we’re eager to see what happens next in the voting phase. The results will show us which startup idea resonates with the small-business community and help us pick the ultimate winner.”

A video describing Fourth Wall is available here, along with links for voting.