StartUp Pitch Competition Brings Buy-in to Student Entrepreneurs

From cleaning services to apps that promote style and fitness, there’s no shortage of business ideas brewing in the minds of University of Mary Washington entrepreneurs. But the winners of last week’s Eagle Innovation StartUp Pitch Competition, presented by UMW’s College of Business (COB), gave judges something they could sink their teeth into … and sink into their teeth.

Mary Washington seniors Taylor Munger, Katie Reif and Helen Worku’s FlossyPik dental flosser won first place in the annual Shark Tank-like contest, along with $2,500 in prize money to take the tooth-cleaning tool to the next level. Its mobility-friendly design and the group’s plan to produce it in various colors with addable stickers – and apply for a patent – bring comfort and pizzazz to the business of flossing. And the judges praised its potential appeal in pediatric dentistry.

“I see entrepreneurship as more than just starting a business,” COB Dean Filiz Tabak said to kick off the event in the Hurley Convergence Center’s Digital Auditorium, where nine finalists’ ideas for new ventures took centerstage. “It’s about identifying opportunities; it’s about solving problems; and it’s about creating and adding value. It requires resilience, creativity and the courage to take risks.”

Lessons in all the above are incorporated into the curriculum for UMW’s management and entrepreneurship major, launched just last year, and for its entrepreneurship minor. The programs dissect the process of building a business, from germination and testing to planning, development and pitching. Open to all Mary Washington students, the spring competition pits presenters against one another in a quest to impress a team of experienced judges who provide feedback, name three top contenders and award a total of $4,500 in startup funding.

“Participating in this event offers students the chance to transform their ideas into a feasible and viable venture, while building connections with entrepreneurial mentors who can guide them in creating their own business,” said COB Assistant Professor Lulu Huang.

From left to right: Judges Christine Goodwin ’96, Joel Griffin and Robby Noll ’88 pose with second-place winner, UMW junior Joey Welsh, and the contest’s fourth judge, Andrew Blate ’04, during the Eagle Innovation StartUp Pitch Competition. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

From left to right: Contest judge Christine Goodwin ’96, UMW junior David Fitzgerald, judge Joel Griffin, judge Robby Noll ’88, UMW juniors Max McCusker and Themba Martin-Weiler, and judge Andrew Blate ’04. The three students, all UMW men’s rugby team members, claimed third place in the Eagle Innovation StartUp Pitch Competition, winning $500 for Zip Rugby and their plan to launch high-quality uniform apparel. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

UMW alumni Andrew Blate ’04, co-owner/founder of remodeling company Beautiful Home Services; Christine Goodwin ’96, CEO of digital design firm Banduri; and Robby Noll ’88, principal of Building Management Company Holdings Group, served as judges. They were joined by Joel Griffin, founder and CEO of Fredericksburg-based Riphean Investments.

Junior Joey Welsh took second place – and $1,500 – for the work he completed with senior Cody Faust, who was unable to attend the event. Their project, Electric Thrillz, proposes a rental service for motorized scooters. Juniors David Fitzgerald, Themba Martin-Weiler and Max McCusker, all UMW men’s rugby team members, claimed third, winning $500 for Zip Rugby and their plan to launch high-quality uniform apparel. All winners are eligible to enter their ideas in a national video pitch competition by the Sigma Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Honor Society.

UMW seniors Kylie Cooper and Brooke Evans, along with their teammate, junior Anna Stamm, received an honorable mention for their project, StyleFix, an app that aims to help users create fashionable outfits and repurpose old clothes. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Eagle Innovation StartUp Pitch Competition judges Christine Goodwin ’96 and Andrew Blate ’04 listen to the entrepreneurial plans of students who presented their projects last week. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

College of Business Dean Filiz Tabak kicked off the Eagle Innovation StartUp Pitch Competition with a poignant definition of entrepreneurship. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

UMW junior Max McCusker helps present research for his team’s project, Zip Rugby, which took third place in the competition. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

From left to right: UMW seniors Helen Worku, Taylor Munger and Katie Reif present their first-place project, FlossyPik, a new take on dental flossers for which the group plans to apply for a patent. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Seniors Kylie Cooper and Brooke Evans, along with their teammate, junior Anna Stamm, received an honorable mention in the UMW contest for their project, StyleFix, an app that helps users create fashionable outfits and repurpose old clothes.

Other competitors included:

• ARMCO Fitness, an all-in-one wellness app proposed by Ryan Adams, Brandon Good, Andrew McElwain and Tiana Tuck
• EcoWise, a subscription-based provider of ecological cleaning products put forth by Katherine Davis and Kyle Johnson
• EverBean, a vegan coffee cart for young adults created by Maria Torres
• Safe Edge, a snow removal company exchanging steel blades for more flexible scrapers made with polycarbonate proposed by Aaron Applegate, John Gordon and Calvin Harold
• Squeaky Clean, a service enlisting UMW students to clean fellow students’ residence hall rooms put forth by Chris Benitez, Ian Martin and Caleb Strong

All the contestants were students in one or both of two courses: Huang’s Foundations of Entrepreneurship course and Entrepreneurship Venture Creation, taught by COB Assistant Professor Chris Willis. “Research shows that students with entrepreneurial training earn more, advance faster and achieve greater career satisfaction, regardless of whether they start businesses or join established organizations,” Willis said. “Eagle Innovation allows them to practice and demonstrate these learned entrepreneurship behaviors and skillsets.”

UMW students Tiana Tuck (left) and Andrew McElwain present their project, ARMCO Fitness, an all-in-one wellness app. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

UMW student Maria Torres (left) talks during a break with Christine Goodwin ’96, who served as a judge for the competition. Torres hopes to launch her service, EverBean, a vegan coffee cart for young adults. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

UMW student entrepreneurs presented nine projects during the Eagle Innovation StartUp Pitch Competition, where judges awarded a total of $4,500 in funding to help get the top-placing entries off the ground. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

From left to right: Christine Goodwin ’96, Andrew Blate ’04, Robby Noll ’88 and Joel Griffin, all successful entrepreneurs in their own rite, served as judges for the competition. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Last week, the FlossyPik – created by Munger, a chemistry major and entrepreneurship minor; Reif, a double major in marketing and communication and digital studies; and Worku, an international business major and sports management minor – used all that knowledge to glide past the competition.

“I’ve always seen myself owning a business; I just didn’t know what it would be,” Munger said. “I never thought I’d be creating a business while still in school.”