Have you ever had the perfect idea for a product or service, but you just need a little start up money? Have you ever wanted to test your pitch skills? Have you ever wanted to practice confidence in front of a crowd? The Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation has the perfect opportunity. The annual Elevator Pitch Competition is for all aspiring entrepreneurs.
Think Shark Tank, but Grove City College style. You take your idea, record a two minute pitch, and it is viewed by a review panel composed of alumni and other friends of the Center. If your pitch rates highly enough, you move on to the final round! The final round is hosted in Sticht lecture hall in front of a crowd, and there, the winners are selected.
The Finalists
This year’s Elevator Pitch Competition began with 130 participants and was narrowed down to 16 finalists under the commercial and social enterprise categories. The 2021 sponsors were Beans on Broad and the Grove City Foundation. The Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation has really worked to grow this program into the success it is today!
This year’s Elevator Pitch Competition was judged by an esteemed group. The commercial and social enterprise judges were Colleen Albright, John Henne ’89, and Dane Mossgrove ’16. The social impact award judge was Dorene Powell.
The room was alive and buzzing with the excitement of the first in person Elevator Pitch Competition in two years. But the program has come back better than ever thanks to the diligent efforts of the Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation and everyone who helped judge in the first round of pitches.
The finalists came onto the stage up front and one by one gave their pitches. After deliberation and making some tough decisions the judges returned to the main room, having reached a decision.
The Winners
The winners of the commercial enterprise category, from first to fifth place, were Madalyn Fry, Micah Fazekas, Caroline Dawson, Shelton Brower, and Mark Wilhelm. Madalyn’s pitch was for her company called Greener Packaging, biodegradable packaging to replace all of the wasteful packaging currently being shipped out every day.
The winners of the social enterprise category, from first to third place, were Peter Judge, Molly McCommons, and Logan Richardson. Peter’s pitch was for his company Mosquitocide, a mosquito trap designed to attract only mosquitos and no other kinds of bugs.
The Grove City Foundation Social Impact Prize went to Logan Richardson and his idea, Code Purpose, a platform for organizations to list their various coding and software needs so they can connect with developers looking for experience. The Fan Favorite award went to Gus Minotto and his pitch for Vibe, a pair of glasses that could change everything for someone with ADHD in a completely natural way.
The Elevator Pitch Competition is just one of many ways that the Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation is striving to equip the students of Grove City College for success.