With a $1,000 grand prize on the line and a shot at another $10,000, 10 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh student entrepreneurs will each give a 90 second business elevator pitch Tuesday to a panel of business leaders – including Culver’s titan and UW Oshkosh alumnus Craig Culver ’73.
On Tuesday, Nov. 18, the 4th Annual Pitch Contest will be co-hosted by the Alta Resources Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) and the UW Oshkosh Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) in a joint effort to brighten the spotlight on the surging entrepreneurial climate and excitement at UW Oshkosh.
“We are extremely excited about this event due to the number of passionate students, the great ideas and the lineup of fascinating speakers,” said Jordan Rhodes, director of the Alta Resources Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI).
“Students are stepping miles out of the their comfort zones to get up in front of an extremely intimidating crowd and panel of judges, all in hopes of receiving enough money to get their businesses started – now that’s passion,” Rhodes said.
In addition to the high stakes pitch contest between students, the event features a brief presentation from Founder and CEO of the Oilerie, Curt Campbell, on his experience pitching on the actual hit reality TV show, Shark Tank.
Culver will also serve as keynote, sharing the story of his journey from graduation at UW Oshkosh to his role as the head of a national franchise, Culvers Franchising System Inc.
The Pitch Contest event runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Sage Hall 1210. It is free and open to campus and the community.
The event’s stakes have grown from a $250 prize in its 2011 inaugural year to a $1,000 prize with the ongoing support of the CEO and the Alta Resources CEI. This year, students will also compete for an automatic qualifying spot in the February Business Model Contest, also hosted by the Alta Resources CEI and offering a $10,000 grand prize.
“The amount of resources available for student entrepreneurs on this campus is absolutely incredible,” said Dan Brosman, president of the UW Oshkosh CEO. “It’s a great feeling to be able to provide our student members what they need in order to start their businesses, and I can’t wait to see them go out there and pitch their hearts out for it.”
2014 PITCH CONTEST JUDGES
- Craig Culver, CEO/Founder of Culver’s Franchising System Inc.
- Curt Campbell, Recent “Shark Tank” Contestant and Owner of The Oilerie
- Colleen Merrill, Executive Director of the CEI & Director of the SBDC
- John Muraski, Professor of Information Systems and UWO-CEO Faculty Advisor
CONTESTANTS
- Brian Harrah: Out of the Drawer Percussion
- Parker Lenz: Atlas Capital Group
- Taylor Schultz: Mobile Car Detailing
- Nick Wirsching: Dairyland Wake Compound
- Jason Marhal: Textbook Mobile LLC
- Nathan Ochocinski: Acuaponics Shrimp System
- Matt Noonan: Xpress Thru
- Mikala Sebastian: The Addo Novo Project
- Nicole Brey/Molly Kaprelian: Metis Consulting
- Zach Clark: Fifth Ward Brewing Company
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