Elevator Pitch fostered a space for networking amongst like-minded creators and allowed student entrepreneurs to proudly and professionally pitch their businesses.
On Oct. 24 at the DI Hub, LaunchNET hosted its annual Elevator Pitch Competition, where 25 students pitched their venture ideas within a 90-second time limit and competed to win funding from a $3,000 prize pool.
LaunchNET is a co-curricular, cross-campus program that supports 5X社区 entrepreneurs and innovators, including students, alumni, faculty and staff 鈥 anyone who wants to bring their ideas, inventions and businesses to life.
This year鈥檚 Elevator Pitch Competition featured a panel of distinguished and innovative judges:
- Amy Mucha, founder of
- Shanisha Collins, founder of and Kent State alumna
- Michael Beam, Ph.D., director of the School of Emerging Media and Technology
After extensive deliberation the judges chose four winners, including two top prize winners and two runners-up. Each top prize winner was awarded $1,000, while the runners-up received $500 each.
Pictured, left to right: Amy Mucha, Shanisha Collins and Michael Beam, Ph.D.
The top prize winners, Aaron Rombach, an architecture graduate student, and Abigail Holeman, a visual communication design senior, each took home $1,000 for their ventures, and Teddy Denim, respectively. The former stood out for his innovative invention and the latter for her fantastic business concept and excellent pitch. Founder of , Angelique Wong, an emerging media and technology graduate student, stood out among the rest, earning her a place as a runner-up. Nicholas Huger, a junior entrepreneurship major, also impressed the judges with his engaging pitch for Boobys Coffee and Tea, securing a spot as a runner-up winner.
Pictured, left to right: Aaron Rombach, Angelique Wong, Nicholas Huger, and Abigail Holeman
鈥淭his was such a great opportunity for me to connect with other student and local entrepreneurs. The whole evening really motivated me and inspired me to continue pursuing my venture.鈥 鈥 Angelique Wong, Angie's Sweets and Treats
The competition also garnered a dynamic partnership from Red Bull. The program empowers thinkers across the world to develop and launch ideas accelerated by AI technology. With this partnership, each Elevator Pitch participant who signed up for Red Bull Basement had the chance to win a semester supply of Red Bull and a Red Bull mini fridge, a prize that any entrepreneur can benefit from!
With the funding awarded and the supportive community fostered by this event, the Elevator Pitch Competition proved to be a rewarding event, igniting entrepreneurial enthusiasm across the Kent State campus.