News
Pitch Competition showcases student ideas
By Ryan McAlonan ’17
March 6, 2015
The fifth annual Entrepreneurship Workshop and Pitch Competition was a roaring success this past weekend. The program aims to teach current students and alumni who have graduated in the past ten years how to “create a compelling pitch presentation, attract capital, and build a concept of profitability.”
The competition is a collaboration between the Career Center and the Anderson-Connell Alumni Center. It began five years ago when the two organizations decided they wanted to come up with new, innovative ways to benefit students and alums alike.
Students in the competition “receive networking, guidance and mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs and financiers,” as well as “compete for valuable prizes including cash, mentoring and advisory services, coaching sessions plus many other prizes including a legal package and gift cards.”
This year’s grand prize included a year of advisory services provided by Meacham Woodfield, LLC (value $50,000), $5,000 in legal services provided by Foley Hoag LLP and $2,500 cash prize also courtesy of MW. Second place earned the runner up $11,000 in coaching services provided by Hamilton Growth Partners LLC, as well as a $1,000 cash prize. Third place earned a young entrepreneur their choice of either a mini-coaching course on time management or goal setting (value $1,500) also provided by Hamilton Growth Partners LLC.
Alumni judges play a vital role in the event’s success, as they are able to give back to the college that they love and help young students succeed in the business world. This year’s judges included Michael Fawcett ‘66, Hedy Foreman, and Natasha Householder ‘83.
The excitement began last Friday, Feb. 27 when students and alumni had dinner and met the judges in the Kirner-Johnson Red Pit. Last year’s winner, Sam Matlick ’17, then ran a workshop introducing the contestants to entrepreneurship and business. Afterward, contestants registered for office hours. They then met personally with judges and consulted with them on business plans and pitches.
Face-to-face office hours continued Saturday from the morning to afternoon. Then, from 6-11 p.m., contestants gave their full pitch to judges, who chose the finalists. On Sunday, finalists were given one final pitch opportunity. After this, the judges met and declared the winners.
The grand prize went to Peter Kazickas ’15. His pitch was for a company called “The Move.” This is a phone application which allows users to interact with a map of their area showing parties, bars and other social events. They can share things about the events, rate them and chat with others on the app attending the events. The app is doing very well and will be available to download shortly.
Second prize went to a team comprised of Sophia Henriquez ’15, Tori Kang ’14 and Taylor Morris ’14 for their company SOLDE. This allows shoppers to communicate with a personal consultant who guides them through all parts of their experience.
Abby Buchanan ’06 and Will Buchanan won third place for their idea, AHMT, a chemical company that creates high efficiency absorbents. Sadiq Abubakar ’15 was named “The Best of the Rest” for his company called the True Tailor. This would bring tailors in his home country of Nigeria together online to allow them to better compete for business and serve the needs of their community.
Director of Affinity Programs and Associate Director of Alumni Relations LaurieAnn Russell said of this year’s competition, “It really amazes me how every year the ideas keep getting more creative. The quality of the pitches this past weekend really spoke to the talent of these young entrepreneurs. I can’t wait to see the great things they will accomplish in the business world!”