Nasis wins 'Survivor' venture competition

Dr. Rania Nasis, UC Irvine Heath Care Executive MBA student and founder of start-up Wanzo, recently beat 40 other entrants to win first place and $75,000 worth of prizes and services at Survivor 4, a competition by Tech Coast Venture Network for entrepreneurs with “elevator pitches” about the value proposition of their companies. Wanzo’s concept is a motion-sensing electronic toy that combines gaming, fitness and social networking to help children aged 5 to 13 be more physically active. Nasis will next travel to Palo Alto Oct. 17 to give a presentation to the Venture Capital/Private Equity Roundtable, one of California’s most active investment groups.