Entrepreneurial students from across the ƼӰԭ campus, drawing on the mentorship and support of the Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business, pitched their concepts during annual LaunchNevada Pitch Competition.
Twenty-four student teams — 15 undergraduate, nine graduate — registered for LaunchNevada, and 14 made presentations at the Nov. 14 pitch competition.
“LaunchNevada supports student teams during the very first steps of their creation of new businesses,” said Mehmet Tosun, director of the Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship.
He explained that LaunchNevada awards given during the fall semester often support student entrepreneurs planning to participate in the Sontag Entrepreneurship Competition in the spring. That competition, also organized by the Ozmen Center, was founded by a $1 million gift from alumnus Rick Sontag in 2011 to award a $50,000 prize each spring to an entrepreneurial venture created by ƼӰԭ students.
The LaunchNevada competition includes review of entrants’ two-page proposals. Teams must strengthen their business plans before entering the competition — revision that can pay off during the Sontag competition as well as LaunchNevada.
Winning this year’s $1,500 first prize was , a company that’s been launched by Jalene Cruz, a senior majoring in information technology, with the support of Kaelen Rivas, a freshman business major.
Cruz said Breadgirl Bakery plans to use the prize money to purchase equipment that will allow it to widen its offerings of fine pastries at pop-up locations. Ultimately, the startup’s founders hope to open a brick-and-mortar location to further bring a childhood dream of Cruz to reality.
In the meantime, she said the company plans to enter the Sontag competition next spring.
The second-place finisher, winning a $1,000 prize, was Atlas, an online fitness marketplace that connects clients with qualified trainers. Created by Jonathan Berrien, a kinesiology student, the site is expected to launch in early February.
Berrien said LaunchNevada provided him with important experience about how to approach investors.
“Pitch competition judges, much like investors, focus on key obstacles that your business must navigate to succeed,” he said. “You can leave purposeful gaps within your presentation to invite further questions. However, I learned that you must address the elephants in the room and tackle the toughest questions during your pitch."
Other prize winners included:
- Third ($500 prize): Krzysztof Magdziarz, developer of FuzeBall, a technology game that’s a blend of air hockey and foosball as omnidirectional robots are used to score goals. An international exchange student from Switzerland, Magdziarz is a business student.
- People’s Choice ($500): Riley Schoen, creator of Honeycraft Syrups, a line of organic, flavored-honey syrups. Schoen is an English major.
For the first time in this year’s event, LaunchNevada offered a $500 prize for a startup nonprofit. The winner, Beyond Bars Recovery Foundation, is an organization that aims to provide lasting recovery to people transitioning out of addiction or incarceration. Andrea Clustka, the founder, has overcome significant personal challenges, including addiction and incarceration, and is now pursuing a master’s degree in business administration with a focus on entrepreneurship.
She said the organization, which recently filed for federal non-profit status, plans to use the prize money for marketing and brand development as it begins fundraising.
Armina Karapetian, director of LaunchNevada and the Charles and Ruth Hopping Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University, said the wide range of academic disciplines represented at this year’s event demonstrates the power of entrepreneurship across the campus.
“This year’s competition not only showcased the remarkable talents and innovative spirit of our student entrepreneurs, but it also served as a vibrant testament to the incredible breadth of academic perspectives they bring to the table. From English and Epidemiology to Computer Science, Management, Physics, Cell and Molecular Biology, Civil Engineering, Marketing, Information Systems, Human Development and Family Services, and Kinesiology, each participant’s unique expertise and passion added depth and dimension to this transformative event,” Karapetian said. “We are honored to celebrate their accomplishments and look forward to seeing their ideas inspire positive change in the world.”
Greg Mosier, dean of the College of Business, said the program provides support that helps students from all academic disciplines create entrepreneurial organizations.
"LaunchNevada is a great program that aligns all participating university students with the pathway to creating their own business,” Mosier said. “Through that process they receive advice, mentorship and direction to enable their success.”
