2025 WVB Finals

April 25, 2025 @ 1:00 PM

Sticht Lecture Hall

Click below to relive the final round!

Seven teams competed for their share of over $38,000 in prizes!

How it went down

Each team advancing to the finals made it through a rigorous round of review by independent reviewers, who scored the teams’ pitches based on criteria such as their solution to a real problem, their forecasted costs & revenue, and their unfair advantage.

Each finalist tea pitched to our panel of judges. Presentations were be 8 minutes long, followed by 6 minutes of Q&A.

The Competitors

Agora Initiative

A model and service that invites churches to invest in local communities by seeding redemptively minded businesses rooted in the needs of each community in order to foster relationships that lead to church plants.

Isabele Crouse ’26
Sam Hogue ’25
Austin Garrett ’25
Ryan Miller ’25

Careot

A secure, multi-faceted app disguised as coupons that provides essential information, tangible resources, and personal support to women seeking to leave their abusers.

Aliyah Shelatz ’25
Eleni Kasianides ’25
Jack Henne ’25

Great Frontiers

Creates outdoor adventure boxes to encourage kids to explore God’s creation and spend time away from screens.

Sarah Karns ’28
Jonathan Steen ’28
Emily Williams ’28
Kaitlyn Kuscevic ’28

JourneyWell

A food delivery travel service for people on the go who want easy access to healthy, personalized food whereever life may take them.

Caroline Dawson ’25
Craig Nyguist ’25

Lacey's Love and Paws

An event that functions like an auto show, but instead with dog breeders, adoption agencies, related vendors, food trucks, and mini shows.

Jonathan French ’25

Mom

An app that connects Christian moms who need reliable advice to experienced moms in a Godly community.

Lauren DeLeonardis ’28
Mara Brak ’26
Anna Scott ’27

Pronto

A fitness supplement company that delivers convenient, single-dose pods of pre-workout, creatine, BCAAs, and electrolytes—designed for use with Keurig machines or shaker bottles—and distributes through direct sales, e-commerce, and gym and retail partnerships.

Oliver Schwarz ’25
Christian Royer ’26
Mason Nichols ’25

Results

How much $$$ did each team walk away with?

 

Pronto: $8,820 + $500 Fan Favorite
Careot: $7,050
Great Frontiers: $6,200
JourneyWell: $6,170.00
Agora Initiative: $2,270 + $1000 Hudson Financial Advisors Award
Mom: $2,320
Lacey’s Love and Paws: $1,170

A special thank you…

Thank you to President McNulty for his unwavering support of the Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation during his tenure as President of Grove City College. We have been blessed to have him join us each year at the Wolverine Venture Battle.  Receiving a “BIG” check from President McNulty is something many students aspired to during their time at the College!

Please enjoy this video highlighting our gratitude to President McNulty. We wish both him and Mrs. McNulty all the best in retirement!

For those who weren’t able to join us on competition day, we hope you will enjoy seeing our special gift for President McNulty: a custom bobble head in his likeness!  He is our “Fan Favorite!”

Wolverine Venture Battle 2025 Sponsors

Heartfelt thanks to our sponsors for their generous support.

WOLVERINE DONORS

 

Laura (Koller ’11) and RJ Fryan ‘08

 

The Habbershon Family:
Tim ’81, Grant ’06, Meredith ’07, Jonathan ’09, and Natalie ‘11

 

 

The Kiska Family:

Stan ’85, Deanna ’87, Evan ’20, and Lauren

Winifred (Williams '77) and Chris McGee '77

Dan Creston '81

 

The Pentz Family:
Mark ‘81, Cheri ‘79, Michael ‘06, and Yvonne ‘06

 

 

John '68 & Betsy Baun Charitable Foundation (Pittsburgh Foundation)

 

Roberta and Allen ’64 Geyer

 

Elizabeth (Smith ’81) and Peter Hanley

 

 

Susan (Peshek ’81) and Peter Durfee ‘80

 

 

The Passaro Family

 

 

Lori (Shoemaker ’96) and John Brinker

 

IN-KIND SUPPORT

Three (3) hours accounting/financial consultation

CIRDEC Consulting, LLC

Five (5) hours business liability consultation

One (1) year of webhosting

Thank you to our Reviewers!

Our reviewers faced the difficult task of narrowing the field of competitors down to the seven finalist teams.

Jordan Atchison
Frances Baldwin
Chris Botting ’83
Scott Brainard ’76
Allison Braund-Harris
Mark Brody ’83
Brian Coy
Craig Creaturo ’92
Dan Creston ’81
Brad Dearborn ’78
Steve DeCaspers ’98
Benjamin Demers ’19
Jay DiNucci ’87
Andrew Ellison
Kim Ford ’72
Michelle Gerwick
Curt Given ’84

 

Brian Gongaware ’92
Glenn Grossman
Victoria Hassett ’12
Michael Hemmerlin ’97
Darcie Herron ’93
Lindy Hitzel ’19
Edward Huttenhower ’76
Melissa Jacobs ’92
Bob Keller ’73
Beth Lepore ’96
Evan Lowe ’89
David Mannion ’78
Wendy Marshall ’81
Paul Marshall ’78
Lauren Marts ’10
Scott McDowell ’87
William Messner ’96

 

Trey Miller ’95
Robin Parsons
Michael Pentz ’06
Mark Pentz ’81
Amy Petro
Patricia Premick ’84
Keith Reagan ’06
Steven Roman ’96
Pamela Rossi-Keen ’99
Charles (Bob) Scott ’72
Barbara Shultz ’95
Cameron Suorsa ’21
Allyson Sveda ’88
Jack Thomas ’89
Steve Wickman
James Will ’98
Sarah Winkler ’08