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Each year, April showers mean it's time for the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship's John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship annual spring pitch competition. And while showers bring us flowers, these pitches bring student ideas to life. The competition is centered around supporting student entrepreneurs in growing their innovative business ideas through a personalized and holistic focus on each student’s success.

This year's competition showcased seven different businesses that were either revenue-generating or startup ideas. All 91�ֿ� students across the eight-campus system were welcome to apply individually or as a team. All contestants went through a semi-final round in which 15 finalists presented a two-minute pitch explaining their business.

Over the past two months, the seven finalists participated in a mentorship program designed to help prepare them for the competition. The students had the opportunity to meet with advisors and participate in workshops once a week at the John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship. Linda Hale, manager of the center, had the opportunity to work with each entrepreneur during the entire preparation process.  

“What I see in students is the confidence it builds in them being able to articulate their business ideas, articulate their financials and really explain what it is they’re trying to do,” Hale said.

This year's competition was a two-hour showcase held in Oscar Ritchie Hall, followed by a student showcase and reception. Each group had five minutes to present their pitch followed by five minutes for questions from the judges.  

The judges, consisting of 91�ֿ� alumni Micheal Capellas, Reneé DeLuca Dolan, Arthur Karas, and Shampa Banerjee, Ph.D., attended the presentations either in person or virtually.

Senior entrepreneurship majors Audrey Ernst and Vaunden Brunn won the top award of $10,000 with their pitch for Rolling Refreshments, a gourmet, mobile beverage catering company specializing in non-alcoholic drinks.  

“I would say that my favorite part has been meeting the other finalists and getting to know them,” Ernst said. “Working with the Brinzo Center through this whole process, you get a lot of mentorship and advice that will benefit you outside of this competition.”

Carter Kline, a senior finance and economics major, won the second-place prize of $5,000 with his pitch of What to Water, a patent-pending hanging flower basket hanger that measures the amount of water in the soil to prevent over-watering.  

“I’m not going to quit,” Kline said. “This is a family business I plan on making this my legacy, so I'm going to make it happen.”  

The five other contestants received $1,000 to support the growth of their businesses.  

The other pitches consisted of a variety of ideas and businesses, including freshman business management Brandon Melin Jr.’s landscaping company, Melin Landscaping, LLC.  

A team of five Master of Science in Business Analytics students consisting of Ajeet Kumar Sandela, Nisha Chaurasia, Shefali Gupta, Lokesh Jetangi and Sofiya Ibrayeva created Mark & Park, a mobile application utilizing AI and real-time camera footage from existing security cameras to revolutionize urban parking.  

Senior entrepreneurship major and dance minor Gabi Spigelmire pitched her business, One More Time Dance Boutique, that sells both new and second-hand dance clothing, shoes and accessories.  

Mark Virgil Jamer, a senior business management major and international student, pitched his Philippines-based social enterprise Gro Up! The business is meant to cultivate children’s knowledge and interest in STEM through game-based learning.  

Lastly, MBA student Kaitlyn Phillips pitched HyandHook, a line of business lifestyle planners targeted toward small crafting ventures. The planner will cover goal setting, marketing, production, finances and more. Phillips said that her ultimate goal is to distribute the planners in major craft stores.  

“I think the competition’s purpose really is to showcase our students and give them a chance to show what they’ve been working on as student entrepreneurs here at 91�ֿ�,” Hale said.

Learn more about the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship.