Last night’s Pitch Dingman Competition brought together a wide range of entrepreneurs: students from the Fearless Founders program pitching ideas; a student entrepreneur who’s startup has already made it big; Smith Advisory Board members from both the entrepreneur and investor sides; and many students, faculty and staff interested in all things entrepreneurship.
Before the competition began, entrepreneurs gained valuable customer feedback at Terp Marketplace. They tested the market, sold their products and made impactful connections.
Following Terp Marketplace, the competition began. Jonathan Chen shared his inspirational story of spending his last dollars to get to Slilicon Valley, staying in a Motel 6, never-ending networking, and eventually getting funded by Mark Cuban which began a $1.2 million seed round.
Then, we heard from five very impressive finalists:
AnyWire, Ben Broch: AnyWire has produced an electrical outlet with an adhesive backing that can be stuck to any wall, allowing easy access for users.
Globoclub Fitness, Daniel Stern: Globoclub Fitness is developing a network of gyms across the country to provide affordable and convenient access to these gyms for travelers.
Locks of Curls, Fredrica Antwi: Locks of Curls is a monthly subscription box service of hair products for men and women with naturally curly hair.
MyDL, Maron Fasil: MyDL is a mobile app that will allow you to access your driver’s license anytime, anywhere, without having to ever bring your card.
Red Coverage Solutions, Rohit Reddy: Red Coverage Solutions provides students, staff and faculty error-free access to their mobile network.
The seven judges had a tough decision to make. While they deliberated, the audience was able to get in on the action and text-to-vote for their favorite finalist. Rohit Reddy, from Red Coverage Solutions was the crowd favorite and took home the $500 Audience Choice Award.
Our partners at Capital One were also in attendance to announce the 10 Fearless Founders who would receive $500 grants to build their minimum viable products.
Congratulations to:
AnyWire, Ben Broch
Bethany’s Organics, Bethany Monaghan
Cribbit, Raja Ayyagari
EasyShare, Drew Weinberger
Globoclub Fitness, Dan Stern
Locks of Curls, Fredrica Antwi
MyDL, Maron Fasil
Saache, Wenjin and YiJie Tan
Stitch, LaShawn Gooden
Victory Cola, Alex Coffin
In the end, the judges chose Ben Broch from AnyWire as the competition winner, awarding him a $2,000 seed fund.
Feeling inspired by the entrepreneurs in the room, the Smith Advisory Board wanted to provide additional seed funds. The group awarded Red Coverage Solutions the Smith Advisory Board prize and an additional $800.
Thank you to the people from all ends of the Dingman Center community that contributed to the success of the Pitch Dingman Competition.