Pitch Your Path
Student entrepreneurs excel at Horn Program's fall semester pitch competition
8:19 a.m., Nov. 12, 2014--The University of Delaware’s Horn Program in Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship Club (E-Club) hosted their bi-annual pitch competition at the Venture Development Center on Friday, Nov. 7.
The theme of this semester’s competition, Pitch Your Path, asked students to think about their future careers and to recognize entrepreneurship as a viable career path.
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During the first round, participants had 90 seconds to present their best idea to a panel of judges. Twenty student teams presented ideas, ranging from a collapsible high-heeled shoe to an app that shuts down your phone during dinner.
The top six teams were then each asked one unique question in a pageant-style question and answer session that helped the judges hone in on the finalist.
Contestants were evaluated on criteria like idea feasibility, pitch quality, innovation and creativity.
The top prize went to Zachary Migliozzi’s baseball throwing sleeve, “Throw Back,” which allows a person to properly simulate throwing a baseball without needing another person to catch or return the ball.
Migliozzi received an award of $1,000 in startup cash to further expand and grow his business. He is a senior exercise science major with concentrations in biomechanics and motor control, as well as minors in biomedical, biomechanical and bioelectrical engineering, chemistry and business administration.
The competition was judged by three alumni entrepreneurs: Leigh Ann Tona, a 2012 graduate and founder of I Don’t Give a Fork; Pedro Moore, a 2006 graduate and operations manager at Innovation Ventures L.P.; and Dave Nagy, a 1995 graduate and founder and director of SoftwareCPAs.
Other top teams included Smart Chair, led by Ross Lefkowitz; Dyad Technologies, led by Olivia Torres; Social Hero, led by Brendan Teeven; TenantU, led by Jacob Jeifa; and Dare Women’s Foundation, led by Lindsay Yeager and Morgan Lehr.
To view the complete collection of photos from the event, visit the Horn Program’s Facebook page.
Article by Chris Kilgus and Jaclyn Anninos
Photos courtesy of Loren Flores