sba, idea pitch, contest, competition, business
April 19, 2024
Oakland University's School of Business has announced the winners of the 2024 Idea Pitch Competition organized by a team of faculty, staff, and students from the Management & Marketing Department. The competition showcased the innovative ideas of student entrepreneurs from various academic backgrounds.
After a rigorous selection process, the top six finalists were chosen to present their ideas to a panel of judges comprised of industry experts, business founders and venture capital representatives. The judges evaluated each pitch based on the uniqueness of the idea, its potential for commercial success and the quality of the presentation.
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| This year's winners of the 2024 SBA Idea Pitch Competition are from left, David Melanshek, Megan Taggart and Nicholas Fenderson. |
The winners of the 2024 Idea Pitch Competition are:
First Place - Nicholas Fenderson, One Shop
A revolutionary marketplace that aims to reinvent the shopping experience
Second Place - Megan Taggart, PurdyPup
PurdyPup pads work similar to Pretty Litter for cats, but in a potty pad form for dogs. We use porous silica gel granules or dusting between each of the six layers in the potty pads. This allows the color to change based on an underlying issue in your dog, but does not ruin the 24 hour leak proof guarantee.
Third Place - David Melanshek, Cat Cam
A pet monitoring system for training cats
The winners of the 2024 Idea Pitch Competition received cash prizes in the amounts of $1,000, $500 and $250, respectively. Reflecting on the success of the competition, one of the participants, David Melanshek from Cat Cam, shared his thoughts: “The Idea Pitch Competition was a great opportunity to network and a valuable learning experience. While it was stressful, it was also a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend giving it a try.”
Dr. Janell Townsend, department chair of Management and Marketing, expressed her admiration for the community's united effort creating this experiential learning opportunity. "It is really inspiring to see how our community comes together to support the growth and development of our students’ business knowledge. This event is transformative for students in their educational journey, and allows them to apply concepts they’ve learned in classes to building their ideas into viable business plans.” She added, “The pressure of a competition with external judges helps them build critical thinking, creativity and communication skills in a fun and exciting environment.”
The event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the volunteer judges. “I love how students take the lead in this pitch competition. For any student who participates--victorious in achieving a cash prize, or not--this is a win, win, win, win, win. An experience that will follow them in whatever they decide to do when they leave the safe cocoon of college life. Well done” said Paula Tutman, multiple Emmy award winning journalist and entrepreneur.
Thank you to the judges who supported this event:
- Paula Tutman, Journalist and entrepreneur - WDIV and Bra-Less Bra
- Larry Gaynor, Founder and CEO - TNG Worldwide
- Allison Burdek, Mission Driven Investments Analyst - Kellogg Foundation
- Jay Song, Director of Commercial and International Finance - Mullen Automotive
- Caroline Wolanin, Investment Analyst - Plymouth Growth
About Oakland University School of Business Administration
Oakland University's School of Business Administration provides students with a comprehensive business education that emphasizes experiential learning and practical application, preparing students to succeed in a rapidly evolving business landscape. For more information, visit oakland.edu/business.